Unrivaled
by The Kat1
Summary: James has never lost. Ever. Lily will do anything to be the best. Obviously there's some animosity. But when things get complicated, the rivalry is upgraded from taunting to pure hatred. Of course, there's a thin line between love and hate. COMPLETE.
1. A Force to be Reckoned With

**Disclaimer: All characters you recognize and the world owned by J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement intended, of course. All kudos to Master Rowling.**

**Unrivaled**

**By The Kat**

**"Love…ah, love, that magical spark between two people that you hope won't start a fire and burn them both to death."**

**-Onizuka (GTO by Tohru Fujisawa)**

**Chapter One: A Force to be Reckoned With**

It was rather chilled outside for an early autumn afternoon. The wind nipped at the sparse branches and filtered through the cracks in the windowpane with a faint whistle. Outside the sky was a bit dim and gray, putting a damper on the week's much appreciated sun.

However, inside it remained bright and warm, and a tall, thin girl sat curled beside the window, reading a book. She flipped the pages faster, for it had just gotten exciting. Her eyes skimmed the words, desperate to see what was yet to come for the troubled heroine-

Tap tap.

The girl peered up at the window at the sound. But there was nothing. She shrugged and went back to her novel.

Tap tap.

Irritated at the interruption, she tossed the book onto her bed and went to the window. Oh. The latch was loose and the wind was-

But her thoughts were suddenly disrupted by the shock of a large brown object hurtling straight toward her head. Larger and larger it became until-

"AAAAIIIEEEEEE!"

SPLAT! The giant brown ball of fluff bounced off the windowpane and fluttered around dazedly, swirling about in the wind. It hooted and puffed up its feathers.

The girl clutched the stitch of her chest and her blood began to boil. "Bloody _hell_! Lily! LI-_LY_!" she shrieked. "You're stupid demon bird is outside my window! I told you to make it stop! Muuuuuum!" She stomped out of the room furiously.

The befuddled owl nudged at the unlatched window and squeezed his plump form inside. From there he buzzed through the door which the girl had just exited and zipped into the room next-door. There he plopped down comfortably on a desk beside a petite redhead. She peered up from her work and rolled her eyes at the screaming tantrum that could be heard downstairs. She patted the owl on the head. "Don't mind Petunia, Rue. She's got something wedged up her bum, I tell you."

Rue hooted playfully and stuck out his right leg to which some envelopes were attached. Gladly she untied the twine and shuffled through the letters. The first she recognized immediately. In swirling green letters it read:

Miss Lily M. Evans

It was clearly from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She unfolded the parchment inside and read what she expected.

_Dear Miss. Evans,_

_This year, as I'm sure you are aware, you shall once again hold the title of prefect for Gryffindor house, I am pleased to say. Also, this year will entail more in your prefect duties. There will be a meeting on Friday of the first week to discuss this year's events. Enclosed is a list of books and supplies you will need. I look forward to seeing you in the halls. _

_Sincerely, _

_Minerva McGonagall_

Lily smiled to herself and tucked the letter into a slot on her desk and looked excitedly at the other letters. It was quite rare that she ever received more than one letter which was, yes, pathetic, and she knew it. To get right to the point, Lily didn't exactly have very many friends. Or any for that matter. It wasn't that she was a mean or horrible person…just not very popular. It didn't bother her too much, not having more than acquaintances. She did just fine on her own studying and focusing on her duties. In fact, she _preferred_ being alone. Yes. She accomplished more this way. No distractions, as she would put it.

Tearing open the second letter, smiling despite her best efforts, she pulled out the parchment within and unfolded it. Her face fell.

_Dear Subscriber, _

_Your payment for _Witch Weekly_ is overdue. Penalty charges will be administered at 4 galleons and add three sickles for each additional late day. Thank you for your patronage. _

_Best Regards, _

_Erma Hix_

_Office of Funds Management and Payment_

But it was times like these when loneliness took its toll. Lily sighed, crinkled up the parchment and tossed it onto the floor. To boot, she had an overdue fee! She was never overdue! Alright, well, onto the second letter addressed to Miss Evans. She ripped it open hopefully.

_Dear Tallulah Evans, _

_On behalf of your staff and friends here at the Ministry, we wish you a happy retirement! We'll miss you dearly, old girl! Don't party too much in Majorca! Don't forget your going away party this Tuesday, and bring your family!_

_Fondest regards, _

_Your workmates_

Lily blanched. Who the hell was Tallulah?

"Rue!" she glared at the ball of fluff perched upon her desk lamp. "_Wrong_ Evans!"

Rue hooted dismissively and buzzed out of the room.

Was she so obsolete to the world that people mistook her for a retired Ministry employee? Even her own owl? Sigh. This was going to be a long year, she could tell.

Downstairs the kitchen was producing delicious smells which wafted up the stairs. Lily took a break from her dismal mail endeavors and bounded down to the little kitchen. A red-haired beauty stood at the counter mixing a bowl of batter.

"Mmmm…Mum, that smells so good!" Lily said dreamily to her mother, taking an exaggerated whiff.

Her mother turned, her eyes twinkling. "This one is for your father. The rest are for…well, your father. He's having a dinner party for his clients tomorrow evening."

"Oh," she feigned a bit of interest. Lily wasn't too fond of her father or his mundane job for that matter. She loved him, of course, but he was just so…so…

"Hellooo everyone!" A deep voice burst from the doorway. "Mmmm, smells spectacular, Annabelle, darling. Oh, dear, my papers…wait…oh blast…there goes all of it." A disheveled-looking man had entered the kitchen, his briefcase hanging open and all its contents were littering floor. His hideous brown and yellow striped tie was twisted and hanging from his crinkled shirt at an odd angle. Normally a hard-working man looked like that when he got home after a long day at the office. Lily's father happened to look just like that when he left each morning.

"Hi sweetheart," he gave Lily a sloppy kiss on the cheek as she bent over to help him. She smiled weakly and set the papers safely on the table. "Oh," her father jumped at the sudden appearance of Rue who was now buzzing excitedly around his head. "Oh…my…er- hello." He patted the owl awkwardly as it landed on his shoulder. "Lily, I thought I told you to keep him in his cage. He can't have free reign over this house, you know."

"Sorry," Lily mumbled, waving her hand at the owl. Rue hooted and fluttered back into the living room. Her father dusted off his shoulder and searched for owl droppings.

Lily settled into a chair at the counter and watched her parents side by side. It was as if they were from two different planets, really. Her mother was absolutely stunning and so well put together. Even amongst the baking mess, she was sparkling clean, her red hair sleek and shining, cascading to her shoulders and framing her delicate face. Everyone said she and Lily looked alike, but Lily didn't think so. Sure, their hair color…but she had her dad's green eyes and also, inconveniently, had inherited his limp hair and his clumsiness. She wished so hard sometimes that she could be just like her mother…beautiful and graceful.

She did, however, inherit her determination and organized nature. Her mother was a spitfire when she wanted to be, and somewhere, deep down, despite her meek tendencies, so was Lily. Especially when provoked. She was very straight-laced like her mother as well. Very no-nonsense. It was a wonder her mother could ever be attracted to such a goof as her father. Her father had his high points though. He was incredibly intelligent: a genius most would say. And very clever. Lily hoped that she had at least inherited that good trait.

Watching the two of them interact like husband and wife had become a hobby of Lily's, especially this summer. So confounded was she that these two could ever have made a match…but, as the saying goes, opposites attract.

"Annabelle!" Her mother had wiped a bit of flour on her father's nose and they began giggling. In a whirl, he picked her up and spun her around.

"Henry!" She pounded his chest flirtatiously. Like teenagers! Really…_she_ didn't even giggle like that. They were grown men and women for goodness sake. It was so illogical the way her mother broke out of her calm, collected character when with her father.

She shook her head and headed back upstairs to collect a few things. The new term at Hogwarts would be starting soon and she had to hit Diagon Alley to pick up her new supplies.

"Blah," a tall dark haired young man said, holding back his long shaggy hair with a free hand. The wind was whipping at his face and the overcast sky made him shiver. "Ow! God damn it!" he clutched his face suddenly. "I think a leaf just hit me in the eye!"

"Oh stop complaining, Padfoot," the boy beside him said jauntily. "Doesn't it just feel good to be out?" He stretched his arms up high in the air, disregarding the wind which whipped about his already disheveled black locks. He was just a fraction taller than his companion and the two were strolling the street of Diagon Alley despite the terrible weather.

"Speak for yourself. Your corneas aren't permanently damaged." He rubbed his eyes wincing. "James I'm tired. Can we at least go inside somewhere?"

"Stuff it Sirius, we're almost there," James said. "When did you become a five year old girl?"

Sirius looked as if he might sock James, but he was quickly distracted by the appearance of a female.

The wind swirled about Lily, whipping her robes around, so she pulled her cloak tighter and clutched her purse to her chest. Diagon Alley wasn't too crowded, most likely due to the weather. Plus her shopping spree was far earlier than any other students preferred. Lily liked to be on top of things. It was in her nature.

She was walking with her head buried in the Hogwarts list when her foot caught on a jutting cobblestone and she toppled to her knees.

"Ow! Ruddy cobblestones," she said muttered, and remained frozen to the spot as she absorbed the shock of the pain to her knees for a moment.

Sirius nudged James who simply rolled his eyes. "Fine, don't be a gentleman," Sirius said stuffily and headed over to help the cloaked girl up.

James stood there annoyed. It was just a girl, not like they didn't already throw themselves on the two of them at Hogwarts, he thought arrogantly.

He sighed and watched Sirius reach out his hand to the girl, but in a sudden gust of wind, her hood was ripped from her head and in a splash of color a banner of red hair whipped about in the air.

"Oh!" Lily tried to brushed the unruly strands from her eyes and the parchment too was torn away from her by the wind. "No!" she cried.

James was dazed for a moment at the sight, the girl's hair sweeping her porcelain skin, groping in the air for the parchment that she'd just lost to the wind. Sirius made a dive for the papers, but missed, and it wasn't until James realized they were floating straight toward him that he broke out of his tizzy. He caught the parchment with a deft hand and unwrinkled them. His face fell.

_Dear Ms. Lily Evans: _

_The following is your list of required materials for your sixth year at Hogwarts…_

But all he needed to see was the first line. Evans. She was a brown nosing know-it-all with prudish tendencies that made it all the more fun to tease, anger and pull pranks on her. She got what she deserved. He sauntered over to where Lily was being pulled up by Sirius who'd also noticed her identity. Yet he didn't seem too phased.

James held out the list.

"Thank you, I-" but she broke off when she locked eyes with James. "Oh." And she ripped the parchment from his hand and shoved it into her bag.

"Nice to see you, Lilykins," James smirked. He hadn't recognized her at first, he'd admit, but she'd changed over the summer. She seemed…he couldn't quite place a finger on it…she was growing up, he knew that. Sirius was clearly checking out her curvature, but that's not what James was referring to. It was something else. "Nice hair."

She flushed and began to smooth it down, then realizing what she was doing ripped her hand away and locked her arms at her sides. "I wouldn't be the one to talk, Potter."

He responded with a glare and gave Sirius an annoyed glance.

Sirius nodded and shrugged as if to say "she has a point."

James remained indifferent and began flipping a small stone in the air with his right hand. "Nice to know you're as friendly as ever, Evans."

"You know, it's rather childish of you to be stuck on the fact that I've gotten you in trouble," She said haughtily. "You know I can't take advantage of my position as prefect for your amusement."

"Oh, I didn't know you couldn't, I knew you _wouldn't_." James tossed the rock over his head and caught it in his other hand, bouncing it about and smiling mockingly now.

"As long as you continue to break the rules, I will pull points and issue detentions."

Sirius piped, "Really, I must thank you for that. I've broken the school record, Lily."

James laughed and Lily glared.

"If you don't mind," Lily began to walk away, "I have errands to run."

But James quickly blocked her way. "Oh, don't tell me you can't make time for your dear old friends?" he was tossing the rock unnervingly close to her face now, and she was getting irritated.

"Get out of my way."

James shrugged. "Don't really feel like it." And he took a step closer, forcing Lily a step back.

"Then perhaps you could adjust your distance," she said, her face heating up.

"Oh," James stepped even closer. "Sorry. I wasn't aware you wanted-"

Lily jumped back again but this time hit the wall of Madame Malkin's robe shop. "Potter!"

"Geez, Evans," he tossed the rock in front of her face and it nearly grazed her nose. James bent over tauntingly and pressed his face in so close it was nearly touching hers. "I'm just trying to have a friendly conversation." With the flick of his wrist, he tossed the rock up from behind his back and caught it with his thumb and forefinger right between their noses. He kissed the rock and leapt back laughing, Lily's cheeks now flushed a vibrant red.

He and Sirius were cracking up as they sauntered off down the alley leaving Lily embarrassed and angry against the wall of Madame Malkin's. She groaned furiously. "Stupid, _stupid_ Potter!" She growled to herself. She took a long deep breath and calmed herself. Don't let him get to you, she thought, gritting her teeth., he's not worth it… "Breathe…just…breathe," she muttered, recalling chapter four of _Detoxify, De-stress, and Don't Explode- Literally- for the Modern Witch._

Of course, that's what she'd been telling herself for the past five years. Each of which was plagued by the existence of James Potter and his friends. Potter was captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, the best Chaser in fifty years, and subsequently, had an ego swollen to the size of the moon.

Lily remembered bitterly the snippets of conversations she would overhear while passing in the halls:

_"There's no way we'll lose tonight's game."_

_"Of course not. With James on our team?"_

_"Too true. James Potter never loses anything. He's unrivaled."_

Dusting herself off and straightening up she regained her dignity and headed off in the opposite direction. Potter and his little friends had better watch out this year. From now on, she was a force to be reckoned with.


	2. Prefect Duties

**A/N: Hello again! I'm back with chapter two. Thanks for the reviews. They're few and far between these days, since hardly anyone reads new stories anymore (since there's so many! Harry Potter has the largest portion of stories on the site!) so I appreciate it. Well, keep with me here, the tale should get more interesting soon…**

**Chapter Two: Prefect Duties**

The sun had risen, casting a brilliant warm glow over the city and the birds were chirping happily in the trees. Lily thrust the windows open and took a deep exaggerated breath. It was an unusually bright day for English autumn. But Lily didn't complain. She absorbed. Chapter Seven, _Detoxify, De-stress, and Don't Explode- Literally- for the Modern Witch_: "The three 'A's': Absorb, Appreciate, and Accept. Remember, life is a beautiful thing. _Your_ life is a beautiful thing. Take a moment to _absorb_ and _appreciate_. This will help you _accept_ and conquer any obstacles that await."

She took another breath for good measure. Today was the first day of Hogwarts and she needed all the help she could get, because with the Marauders out and about, a hoard of first years to usher in, and a restless poltergeist awaiting her at the castle, 'obstacles' was not a word to be taken lightly.

Smoothing back her hair into a neat ponytail, Lily checked her appearance briefly in the mirror, then flitted off to collect her things. Unfortunately, not coming from a wizarding family meant having to carry everything herself. Once she had coerced Rue into his cage, she balanced as much as she could in her arms and made her way downstairs.

"You want some help with that?" Petunia offered, poking her head out of her room.

"Sure," Lily said. "That'd be great."

The two gathered everything up and trudged downstairs.

"Lily," Petunia spoke from behind a large stack of books.

"Hmm."

"I know I shouldn't ask you this, but…I can't ask my friends…"

"What is it? School? You need tutoring?"

"No!" Petunia said reproachfully. "My grades are fine."

This of course was a lie. Lily knew Petunia had never been particularly book smart. But she kept her mouth shut and listened. It wasn't very often that she chatted with her sister; she didn't really have time, what with being away at Hogwarts the majority of the year. "Then what's the problem? You know you can tell me anything."

Petunia hesitated. "Well…there's this boy, Rupert…"

Red flags immediately went up in the back of Lily's mind. "Pet, come on, you're too young for boys. You're only twelve."

"I'll _be_ thirteen in 24 days!" she said angrily.

"Right. Sorry."

"Anyway, I figured I could ask you, I mean, you being older and all. I want to kiss him, but-"

"Kiss him?" Lily cried. "Petunia! For heaven's sake! You're in middle school!"

"So? Tons of people kiss in middle school."

"But none of your friends."

"Yes! Most of them have!"

"Then what's the problem? Ask them! I refuse to be the vessel for which my sister gets her first taste of a man's lechery!"

"Stop talking like that! And…I can't. They think I've already kissed someone."

"Ah." Lily sighed. "You know, you shouldn't lie. Who are you trying to impress anyway?"

"It's more complicated than that," She spat, setting down the books by the trunk of the car. They began loading things. "I was hoping you could give me advice."

Lily nearly choked on her own saliva. "H-help you? Um…"

"Well, you _have_ kissed haven't you?" Petunia put her hands on her hips.

Lily swallowed. It wasn't that she'd never kissed…just that it had been a long time. A really long time. And they were never very good. And by 'they' she meant two. Pathetic right? "Of course I have! I just don't know how much help I'd be. I mean, I can't kiss you." She laughed nervously.

"But you could tell me-"

"Look, Pet, this isn't the best time. I have to get going and you need to get to school, so why don't you just-"

"FINE!" Petunia bellowed, dropping the books she'd been loading with a thud. "Forget I even asked." With that she stomped off into the house.

Lily sighed heavily. The feeling of guilt began to creep up on her, inching its way into her stomach. But what was she supposed to do? Tell her sister she had tons of experience? That drooling Daniel Jenkins was fantastic in her first year, or that kissing Thomas Bellows in second year was great despite his glasses jabbing her in the eye sending her to Madame Pomfrey for three hours. Or when…no. She didn't even _count_ that time. In fact, she didn't even want to think about the third time. Okay, lalala, think about the sky, Lily! Beautiful day! Beautiful day-

"Ready, hon?" Lily's mother's hair bounced freely as she hurried out to the car, keys jangling in her left hand. "Did you say goodbye to your sister?"

"Um…yeah. Let's go." Lily fumbled with the last of her books and shut the boot. It wasn't her fault Petunia was naturally a brat. If she didn't get what she wanted, it always amounted in a tantrum. But, she was her sister, and they did have their good moments. Though sometimes she was just so unbearable!

The car ride there was mundane at most, sending Lily into a silent stupor while her mother hummed along to the radio. Her eyelids were just starting to grow heavy when the car jerked to a stop.

"We're here!" her mother sang. "Let's get going. You're father wishes you good luck."

"As usual," Lily droned, a smile plastered to her face. She was feeling suddenly less perky about her day.

"You know he had work, dear."

"Yes. Like every year." She grabbed Rue's cage and set it atop the trolley her mother wheeled over.

"All right then. To the platform-"

"Um…" Lily interrupted. "That's alright Mum. I'll go myself."

"Oh," her face fell. "Well, all right then. Yes. I suppose that's good. You are sixteen after all!" The grin once again crossed her elegant features, and she released the handle of the trolley, ushering Lily over to it. "You have a fantastic year, hmm?" she kissed Lily's cheek and smoothed her hair.

"Thanks Mum. I will," Lily smiled in spite of herself.

Lily watched her mother stride back to the car before turning to the station. However, it was only a matter of minutes before she'd lost control of the trolley, and nearly ran into an elderly couple walking arm in arm.

"Oh! Sorry! Sorry!" Lily exclaimed. Rue squawked loudly in reproach and the couple glared, the old woman fixing her large, decorated maroon hat. Her features were refined, but the man beside her had a large mole on his chin and a beastly nose over which he glared down at Lily.

After getting a closer look at him, it was clear he wasn't the woman's husband, but perhaps her son? Her…very…ugly son? "I highly advise, madam," he snarled, "that you watch where you are going and respect your elders. Any witch below you would take more care not to draw so much attention to herself."

How did he know she was a witch? Lily glanced over at Rue's overturned cage. Oh. She supposed the owl gave it away. He must be of the wizarding world. "I-" Lily gaped. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Good day," he grimaced and turned on his heel to meet the haughty woman by offering his arm. "Madame," he bowed to her and the two strode off down the station.

"How rude!" Lily puffed, adjusting her clothes and hair.

"Need some help?" a deep voice seeped into her ear.

Lily jumped and spun around. "Oh-for-" she cried, meeting Sirius' twisted smirk. "Don't do that! And no, I'm fine thank you. Go…find James or something."

Sirius put on a sad face. "But I don't want to. I want to stay here with you."

"Shove off, Black. I don't have time for your games. I have a train to catch. Presumably so do you if you haven't been expelled yet." Lily droned, finally putting Rue's cage upright and loading the trolley back up.

"No," he said breezily, "I love the school too much. Merlin forbid I get stuck at home the rest of my life." He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against a pillar while she fumbled with a stack of oversized textbooks.

"What a sob story. Too bad I don't have time to hear it. So, is there something you wanted, or are you just here to annoy me?" A few books slipped, and Lily cursed loudly.

"My, words so unbecoming for a beautiful young lady. Allow me to help-"

"Keep your jinx-producing hands off my things, Black!" Lily bellowed. "Out of my way." With that, Lily shoved the trolley along as fast as she could, keeping an especially wary eye out for obstacles this time. However, Sirius continued jogging backwards to keep up with her, hands still shoved in his pockets and exuding that damnable air of laxity that made all the girls swoon.

"So, you got a date for the Yule Ball yet?"

Lily almost tripped. "Excuse me?"

"The Yule Ball-"

"I heard you!" Lily could feel her cheeks flushing rapidly. "What did you mean by it? The ball's over three months away."

Sirius shrugged. "I figured you were a project, so I thought I'd give myself some extra time."

"You've got to be kidding me." Her jaw tightened and she made a running jump through the brick of Platform 9 ¾.

Sirius followed immediately, catching up to her once again. "Well?"

"Assuming this isn't a joke, which it most likely is," Lily glared, "when hell freezes over."

He grinned. " I thought so. Don't worry, I'll break you, I know you want it. I can see it in your eyes," he squinted mischievously. "You _will_ be my date, Lily Evans."

Before she could object to his rudeness, Sirius had leapt aboard the train. Lily glared furiously at nothing in particular and then boarded as well, making her way to the back for the prefect meeting.

She slipped into the large compartment and sat down between a tall, sandy-brown haired boy and a very pretty girl with a sheet of blonde hair cascading down her back. The girl looked rather stolid, but when Lily made eye contact, she grinned brightly, her blue eyes sparkling. Lily smiled back and turned her attention to the Head Boy and Girl who had just entered. This year the Head Boy was the very robust Eric MacLean. He was a very friendly Gryffindor with rosy cheeks and a short patch of read hair. He smiled and greeted them all with a hearty hello. Incidentally, he was the star Keeper for the Quidditch team. On his left was a tall girl with a waterfall of wavy black locks that fell to her waist. Her eyes gleamed, and she was wearing a slightly fierce expression. But she was absolutely beautiful, like a model Lily might see in Witch Weekly- not that she read that garbage, but she might have caught a glimpse of another girl's copy awhile back…The girl caught sight of Lily's staring eye and turned up the corner of her mouth in a small smile. On her chest glittered a silver and green badge labeled HG.

"I'm Eric MacLean, Gryffindor. Many of you already know me…well, I do see a couple of new faces, but we'll get to introductions in a minute." He gestured for the girl to speak.

"Edith Baldric. Slytherin. Now, this year entails many new duties for sixth year prefects," she said silkily. Lily noticed all the boys' eyes were on here faithfully, "Organizing the Yule Ball, the Halloween feast, and Christmas décor for the halls. This evening, you will escort your house students to the common rooms after giving the first years a brief tour. Tomorrow, you will each be assigned your individual duties by your head of house the results of which will be discussed at the next meeting three weeks from today."

"The sixth years are dismissed," Eric added. "We'll get acquainted with the rest of you and let you fifth years know what being a prefect means. Have a good trip you lot." He bid them goodbye.

Lily picked up her bag, the girl on her right rising as well. On her left the brown haired boy stood slowly, and followed her out.

"Good to see you again, Lily," he smiled. "I was looking forward to it. If you haven't already got an Arithmancy partner, I was going to ask."

"Of course, Remus," Lily grinned back. Remus Lupin was one person she always looked forward to seeing. Even though he was technically a Marauder, he sympathized with her plight with James and Sirius and was always a good friend. "I suppose I'll see you tonight then?"

"Right. Now the trick is finding James, Peter, and Sirius. I assume they're wreaking havoc as we speak." He smiled and strode off down the aisle.

Lily sighed and looked around. This was always the most difficult time: finding an open compartment after everyone had boarded. She shuffled down the aisle, peeking into compartments, but most of them were full, or rather, full of people who didn't seem particularly keen on allowing her in. Finally she found an empty one where she slipped in and plopped down on the seat exhaustedly.

"Wotcher, Evans."

"AAAAUUGGH!" Lily jumped, two big brown eyes mere centimeters from her face. "Bloody hell, Kenneth!" She cried to her fellow Gryffindor, clutching the stitch of her chest. "Don't _do_ that!"

"Sorry," Kenneth shoved the whole body of a chocolate frog into his mouth, leaving brown smeared around his lips. He was a large fellow, and his robes were very disheveled. Not in the lightly ruffled sexy Sirius sense, but rather the big fat slob sense.

"It's alright. Really." She moved to the other side and slumped in her seat. "I'm so tired."

"Why?" He began unwrapping another frog. "Oh, it's Helga. I already have her. Here," he offered it to her.

"Uh…no thanks. I've got, um…plenty." She eyed it with distaste.

"Suit yourself." He continued munching. "So prefect again this year, eh?"

"Yup," Lily smiled. "Lots more work."

"That stinks. I wouldn't be a prefect if Dumbledore paid me," he grimaced, flicking his messy brown hair to the side getting chocolate on his forehead in the process. "I wouldn't want to be a bloody nark."

"Thanks, Kenneth."

"No problem. Say, you going to eat that?" he said, eyeing the pumpkin pasty sitting next to her.

"They aren't mine-"

"Brilliant," he finished for her. "Toss it here. So, how was holiday?"

"Mundane," Lily sighed. "You?"

"All right. Went to th-"

The door sliding open with a bang cut Kenneth's words short. Overly loud laughing filled the compartment, but stopped dead quite suddenly. James, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius were standing in the doorway, staring at the two of them. A sly grin formed on James' features when he spotted Lily, and soon after the look on Sirius' face followed.

"Morning, Evans. Kaufman. Lovely day for a train ride, eh?" James drawled, plopping down beside her. Sirius and Peter sat down on either side of Kenneth and grinned at him tauntingly. Kenneth narrowed his eyes warily and wrapped up his chocolate frog.

"What, not going to share, then?" Sirius said sadly.

"Get your own," Kenneth barked.

"Now, that's not very nice," James interrupted. "You should have more respect for your school mates."

"He would, Potter," Lily interjected, "But it's difficult when none of you are his 'mates.' Ignore them, Kenneth. They're just bullying you."

"Bullying?" James' eyebrows tilted sadly. "What a harsh word."

"Don't make me dock points," Lily growled.

"Now, now. There's no need to be hasty," Sirius said, snatching the chocolate frog out of Kenneth's hand and tossing it to Peter who caught it gratefully.

"Give that back!" Kenneth said.

Lily was getting furious. They had no right to be in here bullying them. She was a prefect for Merlin's sake! They should at least give her due respect! "Give that back to him and get out, Sirius, or I'll give you a detention!"

Sirius looked like he might explode with laughter.

James grinned and pinched Lily's cheek. "Oh, you are so _cute_ when you're mad, Evans!"

Lily shook him off, blushing furiously with a mix of anger and embarrassment.

"Now the least you can do is let us stay. After all, this is _our_ compartment."

What? "Excuse me?" Lily growled. "This is not _your_ compartment."

"Actually," Peter said through a mouthful, "it's quite rightly ours. See?"

Lily followed Peter's pointing finger to the wall by the window. Sure enough, four names were burned in by wand: _Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_.

"You can't just go around claiming everything you burn your names into! That's defacement of school property! I could have you suspended for that!"

"Not if you just let it slide," Sirius sidled over to her and looped his arm over her shoulder.

"Get," Lily lifted his arm as if she were carrying a dirty sock, "your arm off of me."

"Lily," Sirius looked her in the eye, "your words are so _callous_."

"Don't talk to me about callous, Sirius Black. I'll-"

The door slid open again, this time Remus was standing in the doorway, looking rather tired and clutching an armful of books.

"Oy, Remy!" Sirius said delightedly. "Come to join the party! Have a seat."

"What are you doing now? Harassing these two?"

"Yeah, wanna join?" James tossed him another one of Kenneth's sweets warranting another foul glare from Kenneth.

Remus caught it deftly, then handed it back to Kenneth with a sigh. "Why don't we leave them alone?"

"Because," Sirius said, "that's not the way of the Marauders."

"Besides," James added, "This is our compartment. They're our guests. It wouldn't be right to kick them out on such short notice. After all, they'd never do that to us." He tacked on a sickeningly sweet smile to the end which he flashed brilliantly at Lily. She rolled her eyes and scooted to the far end of the seat.

Remus turned to Lily, "Is that all right with y-"

"AAAUUGGHH!" Kenneth cried suddenly, clutching his face.

Lily gaped at what she saw. Blood was pouring out of his nose, and then, suddenly from his ears as well. He began shrieking and trying to stop it with his robes, but blood was spilling everywhere.

"Wh-what-" he sputtered, "what- did you- you- do?" He coughed at James who was lounging casually on the seat, trying to suppress a smile.

"Don't know what you're talking about mate. You'd better go fix that leak. Doesn't look too good from here."

Sirius was howling with laughter, and Peter had subsequently joined in. Remus looked a little peeved and grabbed Kenneth's arm. "I'll take him to the front." He ushered Kenneth out with a weary glare at James.

As soon as the door shut, James burst with laughter as well. "Did you see that big lug!"

"Good one!" Sirius laughed. "How'd you know Remus'd toss the chocolate back to him?"

"It's Remus," James said dismissively. "Not my best use of that hex thou-"

"You-selfish-horrible-_egotistical-jerk_!" Lily seethed through gritted teeth. "How can you just go around doing horrible things to people who've never done anything to you?"

"He had it coming," James drawled.

"Had-had it-" Lily stuttered with fury, "Do you have any idea how much people _hate_ you for being so cruel?"

"Hate us?" Sirius laughed. "Please, people love us. We bring the fun back into school _fun_ction."

James stared blankly at Sirius. "That was really bad, Padfoot."

"I know. Sorry."

"FIFTY POINTS!" Lily cried at the top of her lungs. "I'm taking fifty bloody points from Gryffindor house. On YOU! We'll see how much people love you after _that_!"

"What?" James shouted back. "You can't take away fifty points! School hasn't even started yet!"

"I'm a prefect, I'll do what I have to for the sake of discipline!"

James leapt out of his seat and rounded on her. "You don't have any jurisdiction on the train!"

"Watch me!" Lily spat in his face. With that, she whirled around and flew out of the compartment.

James stood there, fuming. Calming himself in the presence of Sirius and Peter, he tried to act flippant by flopping down on the seat, but slipped and hit his hip. "Bugger!"

"She really gets to you, mate," Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"She's just a girl," Peter scoffed.

"Ugh," James groaned. "She's just so…_infuriating_."

"Infuriating?" Sirius smirked. "You talking like her now?"

"No," he spat defensively. "She just makes me angry. She's so full of herself."

Sirius didn't say anything. The answer to that was a given, but he thought better of it and changed the subject with Peter. "Got anymore of those frogs?"


	3. The Guidance Counsellor

**Chapter Three: The Guidance Counsellor **

Lily stomped down the hall, searching frantically for some higher authority to give her the go ahead to take away points. This was ridiculous! She had the power! She just had to prove it. She took a deep breath and counted backwards from ten. She had to stop getting so upset. After all, she was a prefect and needed to remain calm in all situations. The thought of the new herbal potion her book recommended for relaxation helped to sooth her boiling blood.

At the end of the corridor she spotted a woman with wavy flowing black hair slipping into a compartment. Could she be a professor or something? She didn't look familiar.

"Excuse me!" Lily waved a hand to catch her attention, but the woman had already disappeared and shut the door with a soft thud. Rats. She was never going to punish the Marauders at this pace.

Thump! Lily fell hard to the carpeted floor of the train. Pain shot through her neck and bum which she rubbed dolefully.

"Oh dear. Perhaps some of us should watch where they're going," a silky voice cooed. Loud tittering from a few girls followed the comment.

Lily glanced up to face a tall, slender blonde with thick goldilocks curls. Her heavily lashed eyes batted demurely before she gingerly took a step over the crumpled and fallen Lily.

"Excuse you," Lily muttered, pushing herself up. But a foot crushed her side and knocked her back down, three girls subsequently stepping over (and on) her. Lily's blood began to boil, but she remained quiet and groaned softly to herself.

Charlotte Vane, in all her blonde glory, stood hand-on-hip before Lily and smirked derisively. Behind her was her band of three girls.

"I think she got uglier, if possible," said Florence Page, a brunette girl with an unsuitably large nose. More laughter ensued and Lily curled up a little on the floor.

Helen Halverson grinned with sparkling white teeth then pursed her lips. "It's the hair. She's got granny hair. Look at that little bun! How quaint."

One of the girls was shorter than the others with straight mousse brown hair that fell past her shoulders and in her blue eyes. They flickered slightly behind large glasses and she took a small step back.

"Madeline," Charlotte practically snapped her fingers at the girl. She turned in response to Charlotte. "Don't you have something to say to Lily?"

Madeline peered down at Lily shakily and swallowed hard. "Erm…I…"

"What are you doing?" a voice came from the end of the corridor. Lily looked over her shoulder to find James Potter stalking toward them. Lily scrambled to sit upright.

He paused and looked down at her then eyed Charlotte reprovingly. "Having fun at others' expenses again, Charlotte?" he smirked. He held out a hand casually to Lily. She scoffed and pushed herself up, ignoring James' hand. He shrugged and turned his attention back to Charlotte.

"Hello James," she grinned and pushed past Lily. "Haven't seen you all summer…except…"

James grinned and ran a hand through his hair. The two were awfully close and Lily was feeling like a very uncomfortable onlooker. "Find someone less helpless to pick on."

Helpless? Lily felt her face flush. She was _perfectly _capable.

Charlotte smirked. "You'll have to do better than that. Try and stop me, James," and with that, she flipped her curls and spun around. Mid-turn she shot Lily a personalized glare and strutted off to the next car with her posse in tow.

Lily watched James grumpily as he followed Charlotte with his eyes. She sighed audibly and began stalking off down the corridor back to the compartment. James noticed she was leaving and latched onto her cloak with a swift hand.

"What's the rush, Evans?" he said smoothly pulling her back to his side.

Another irritated sigh passed Lily's lips. "I've had enough ego for one day. I thought perhaps that portion of the car would explode. I wouldn't want to get caught in it."

"Oh, she's not that bad," he furrowed his brow.

"I wasn't just referring to her," she said bitterly.

"Ouch. Don't be so uptight. It's no wonder you have no friends!" James' words were said flippantly but cut Lily beneath the surface.

She didn't respond, but instead swept straight past the compartment, her robes fluttering behind.

"Where are you going?" James raised an eyebrow.

"The loo. Join me if you'd like," she stomped off, not bothering to turn around.

James grinned and considered taking her up on the invitation when he heard laughing coming from inside the compartment. His curiosity for what his friends were doing was too strong. He tore his lingering eye away from Evans and joined the Marauders.

The train rumbled beneath her feet and the lights flickered and rattled slightly on the wall by the mirror. Lily glanced back at herself inside the small washroom compartment and shook her head. James was right.

She even _looked_ uptight.

Reaching behind her head, she pulled out the hairpins and let her auburn tresses loose. Her hair spilled past her shoulders in soft waves from being wound so tightly. She stared at herself dumbly for a moment, then flipped her hair and giggled, imitating Charlotte and her friends.

Ugh! She looked cheap! What was she doing? This wasn't her! Hastily, she wound her hair back up and threw open the door. She trudged back to the compartment and entered to find the three boys rolling with laughter. Peter actually fell off his seat when Lily slid back the door with a bang.

"Lily, ha ha ha!" Sirius said through tears, "Look at this."

James too could hardly contain himself. That was a bad sign. Warily looking from one chuckling boy to the other, Lily stepped forward to see what Sirius was holding.

"Isn't it the damned funniest thing you've ever seen? I didn't know you had it in you!"

Lily immediately flushed. It was her self-help book _Detoxify, De-stress, and Don't Explode- Literally- for the Modern Witch. _

"Where'd you find it?" James was cracking up. "Zonko's? Elliot's? No, must have been Zonko's…that stuff's too rich!"

Lily immediately snatched it away and clutched it tightly to her chest, doing her best to hide it beneath the billowing fabric of her robes.

"What's your problem?" Sirius said. "We were complimenting your taste in humor."

"What humor?" James guffawed. "She walks around with a stick up her arse all day."

The lot of them burst into hysterical laughter, James practically patting himself on the shoulder for his cleverness.

Lily gritted her teeth, her eyes beginning to sting despite her best efforts. She knew they were just mocking her, but she'd had enough of their jokes. Tight-lipped and without a sound, she grabbed her bag and left, slamming the door behind her. It rattled slightly in the silence.

The humor in James' eyes faded slightly, but Sirius and Peter were still laughing.

"Did you see her face?" they burst. "What is with her anyway, that bloody book. I know she's a geek, but damn. She never fails to surprise me."

But something in James' stomach twisted. Suddenly it wasn't so funny anymore. "Shut it."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh, she'll come off it in an hour. Don't worry."

"I said shut it," James glared at him.

Sirius raised his eyebrows and scanned James' eyes a moment, as if to make sure he was entirely serious. "Alright mate. Sorry."

James sat silently glaring out the window. Why'd she have to be so bothered by everything? It got on his nerves. He was just having a bit of fun…but Evans never had fun. It was like a forbidden language for her.

Peter shifted uneasily in the awkward silence, utterly grateful when Remus slid open the compartment door.

He paused. "Where's Lily?" Peter shook his head causing Remus to retract his statement. "Forget I asked. Anyhow, I brought us some food. Keen?"

He tossed a few pasties and frogs onto the seat, but Peter was the only one who lunged for them. Remus tossed one to Sirius and James who caught them deftly, but remained silent.

Sirius grumbled to himself in the corner. What was his problem anyway? He was getting all uptight over a girl…he never used to be that way. Warily, he peered over at James. It better not be what he thought it was. Because if James Potter was going to let a girl affect him like that, they were going to have to have a little chat.

But it was too early to assume. He was probably just reading too much into it. James would never let that happen. Right?

James stared grimly out the window with a partially unwrapped chocolate frog in his fist, not once taking a bite.

Lily took her time wandering carelessly down the corridor as the train chugged tirelessly along. It wasn't like she had anywhere to go. Finding another compartment was highly unlikely…she could just walk up and down the cars for the next few hours, she supposed…

Ugh! She slumped down on the floor, leaning against a compartment door. The year hadn't even started and she could already tell what it was going to be like. But no matter. Her grades would be top and she would keep on organizing, and once she was out of Hogwarts with a fantastic career, she could laugh at her former classmates and their miserable jobs and squash Charlotte like the little dung beetle she was! Yes. That would be appropriate-

"Whoa!" The compartment door slid open behind her, and Lily landed flat on her back with a thump. She felt her cheeks flush a violent scarlet as she peered up at a beautiful woman with a cascade of curly dark hair. She had silvery eyes and flawless skin. Lily recognized her immediately as the woman she'd seen earlier. "Erm…"

Lily pushed herself up and smoothed her hair, embarrassedly. "I'm really sorry," she gushed, gathering her bag and standing up.

A glowing smile broke out on the woman's face and she took Lily by the hand. "It's alright. You look like you could use a compartment. Why don't you stay here with me."

"Huh? Oh…well, I don't want to intrude," she held up her hands.

"Dear, it's fine!" she said softly, beckoning Lily inside. It appeared the woman had the compartment to herself. "Please, I could use company."

Lily stared at the woman a moment, then couldn't help but grin back. She was very beautiful and kind, and her smile was infectious. Lily dropped into her seat while the woman slid gracefully into the one across from her.

"I'm Melinda," her silver eyes shimmered. "Melinda Moonshine."

Moonshine…why did that name seem so familiar? "Lily Evans," she smiled and shook Melinda's hand. Then, unable to quell her curiosity, she added, "I'm sorry…you seem a little old to be a student. Are you a guest or something?"

"Oh no," she shook her head, the curls framing her heart shaped face, "I'm new to the staff. Miss Moonshine. I'll be the new guidance counsellor."

Lily was taken aback. Guidance counsellor? "Wow…Hogwarts has never had a counsellor before…unless the detail of chapter fourteen in _Hogwarts, a History_ is too outdated…"

Miss Moonshine laughed. "No. The Ministry commissioned me for the position. They believe that times of crisis require special needs, and considering these dark times we're in…so many students have lost family and friends. They felt it only right to instate someone the students and staff can talk to. Also, I can help you all choose an appropriate career path."

"Really…" Lily smiled. "I suppose that's a good thing. Well, I hope you enjoy your stay here. I'm a prefect, so if there's anything you need-" she added to boost her self-importance a bit.

She smiled. "Thank you dear. That's lovely of you to say."

Lily fell silent and fingered the hem of her sleeve. After meeting and greeting, she never really knew what to say. The train rattled on beneath them for a good ten minutes. Lily shifted uncomfortably; she could feel Melinda's eyes on her expectantly.

"So Lily," she snatched Lily from her stupor, "Does that girl always bully you?"

It took Lily a moment to register the question. Usually she was asked the basic 'what year are you?' and 'how are your classes fairing?' none of which were quite so, erm, straight-forward.

"Um…well, Charlotte's just…" Lily scrabbled for an explanation. "Charlotte's just Charlotte."

"And by that you mean stuck-up twat?" Melinda raised an eyebrow.

Lily coughed. "I- ah- well-" She couldn't help it; she laughed. "Yes, actually."

Melinda's expression turned stony. "But don't tell anyone I said that- they'll have my head."

Lily shook her head. "Of course not. Erm…I'm just shocked a teacher would talk about a student like that…"

"Well," Melinda rolled her eyes, "She's not just some student. She's my cousin."

"You mean-?" She gaped, knowing she probably looked rude but didn't care. "You're a _Vance_?" Melinda was so nice! How could she be related to such a wench?

"Actually, it's the other way around."

"She's a Moonshine?"

"No."

Lily was confused.

"You see, her family changed their name. Mine changed when I married," Melinda explained. "Our family name is Mottlebum."

Lily nearly choked and then coughed as an attempt to cover her laughter. She felt awful, but really: _Mottlebum_?

"I know, I know," Melinda waved her hand wearily as if this was one of a hundred times she'd encountered the very same reaction. "It's horrid. But her family had no right to change it and turn their backs on the rest of us. Just because we come from a long line of Hufflepuffs doesn't mean-"

"You were Hufflepuff?" Lily didn't mean to sound so shocked, but Melinda was just so…graceful.

"Yes. But as soon as my uncle's first son made it to Gryffindor they thought themselves too good for the rest of us I suppose."

"That's horrible!"

"Yes, well…that's that family," Melinda sighed. "So what house are you, Lily?"

"Er…" Lily was a little embarrassed to reveal her house name now. "Gryffindor, actually."

"Gryffindor? Really?"

Well, now, she didn't have to act so surprised. Lily puffed up a bit and pursed her lips. "Yes. I am a Gryffindor. A Gryffindor _prefect_."

"Ah," Melinda nodded. "I just expected you to be Ravenclaw. You have that look."

"Oh." That's interesting, Lily thought, though is made sense. She was impeccably organized and equalled their book smarts, if not surpassed them. "Miss Moonshine, how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Her silver eyes sparkled. "I thought you might ask. Twenty actually." She continued with a smile when she saw the shock in Lily's eyes. "I started my career early. Never needed much training for what I do, you see. I guess I have a gift or some such nonsense, as my mum puts it." Her eyes travelled to Lily's partially open bag and lingered on her copy of _Detoxify, De-stress,_ etc. "Are you reading that?"

Lily followed her gaze and blushed furiously, shoving the peeping book down into the depths of papers in her black bag. "Erm…yes. I…am."

Melinda smiled and said nothing more. The sky grew dark outside the window and they chattered about various things; Lily warned Melinda about Peeves and Filch, while Melinda in turn reminded Lily that she was a student only a mere four years prior. Lily subsequently blushed and swallowed the lump of her prefect pride that had lodged in her throat. But Lily quickly felt at ease with her, and the professional, courteous manner of a prefect addressing a professor evaporated leaving two girls, similar in age, gossiping about nonsense.

"Oh, it's lovely to talk to someone young again, Lily, you have no idea," Melinda sighed. "Everyone at the Ministry is so stiff save the interns- and their priorities are wedged so far up their bums they can barely walk straight let alone chat for a moment about things outside the government."

Lily laughed. She felt older than sixteen with Melinda, like an old friend from school chatting over drinks. She felt grown up. Silly, she knew, but intellectually, Melinda was her match.

The train slowed to a halt and whistled loudly. Slamming and sliding compartment doors and the shuffle of students could be heard outside their door. Reluctantly Lily stood up and stretched, picking up her bag.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you on campus, Melinda…erm…Miss Moonshine."

"Of course!" Miss Moonshine exclaimed. "Please feel free to come by my office anytime. I look forward to talking with you more…and please, call me Melinda when it's the two of us. We'll leave awkward titles for the halls. I hope I can consider you a friend and vice versa."

Lily felt herself grinning despite her best attempts. "I…I'd love that!" Wow! A new friend! Given, she was an authority figure. Of course as a prefect, so was she, Lily reminded herself proudly.

Miss Moonshine slipped from the compartment gracefully and gave Lily a kind smile and wave. Lily, however, waved and toppled not-so-gracefully over her left foot and nearly fell face first to the floor. Luckily she caught herself on the door, but the contents of her bag spilled out in a shower of parchment and quills.

With a groan, Lily began shoving the objects back in when she came across _Detoxify, De-stress…_She was about to cram it back in her bag, but something caught her attention on the cover. The gold embossing on the bottom of the cover shimmered in the starlight. The author's name stared blatantly back at Lily and she nearly slapped her forehead:

_Melinda Moonshine_.

She _knew _she'd heard that name somewhere before. And now her de-stress guru was going to be working at her school! How could she have been so stupid as not to recognize her? Melinda must think her a complete fool!


	4. The Crush

**Just a special thanks from Chapter Three: **

**Sweet Sarcasm: Thank you so much! You have no idea how good your comment made me feel! I've been so stressed out the past few months, and I really have had no time to write, but when I read what you wrote, I sat down and started typing! I really do love writing, and it was so sweet of you to say what you said. I can only hope it goes somewhere- I just have to put more work into it! You got me going again! Thanks.**

**And thanks everyone who does comment. It really does make my day, and it always makes me want to write more. I love hearing what you think, even if it's bad. I just want to be a good writer, and every tip helps. So please keep reading and reviewing!**

**Chapter Four: The Crush**

Lily trudged up the stairs letting out a deep sigh of relief. Bloody first-years. They're as frightened as baby chicks the first day, and a week into the term, they latch onto you like monkeys. Not a day went by where she wasn't bombarded with stupid questions about the moving staircases and Remus Lupin's romantic eligibility.

Really, Remus was doing a grand job, but something about his bookish, brooding good looks and kindness made the young girls swoon. Lily, of course, the _female_ prefect, had to hear the brunt of it.

The fifth year prefects tended to have a little too much interest in abusing their newly found powers to properly care for the students. Thus, it was left up to Lily and Remus. And the stress, she found, was becoming a bit overwhelming.

She flipped on the faucet and began scrubbing her hands. Peering back at herself, she smoothed the loose hairs of her ponytail and straightened her robes. But something in the wide mirror caught her eye: the small, empty patch of fabric over the left side of her chest.

Where was her prefect badge?

Desperately, she felt around the fabric to check if she'd accidentally put an invisibility charm on it. No. Blast. It wasn't there. She immediately dropped to her knees and began searching the floor, crawling beneath the row of leaky sinks.

The latch on a stall clicked and a girl stepped out, hesitating at the sight of Lily.

"Erm…" Lily grinned faintly.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Are you all right?"

"Ah…oh yes!" Crack! Lily leapt up, and whacked her head on the bottom of a sink. She cursed loudly and clutched the back of her head tenderly. "Just…fine…" She gritted her teeth and smiled weakly.

The girl eyed her a moment longer and left.

Phew. Perhaps it was a good thing she wasn't wearing her badge just then. It wasn't proper behaviour for a prefect to be crawling along the bathroom floor, now was it? Lily continued her search, but found nothing. Damn. Now she'd have to ask for a new one…but wait, she couldn't just _ask _for a new one! What was she thinking? The prefect badges were treasured parts of Hogwarts history! They didn't just _conjure _new ones! Like it said in _Hogwarts, a History_, the sacred badges of the head boy and girl and prefects were worn by generations of students since the founding of the school itself. That was hundreds of years! Or more! _Hundreds_!

Lily gasped. Oh no. McGonagall would think her unfit to be prefect for not taking good care of the badge! Her status would be revoked! She'd never be able to show her face again! Heeeee-huuuuuh HEEEEE-HUUUUH.

Lily began to hyperventilate. Okay, Lily. Just. Breathe. Breeeaathe. Chapter Fourteen: _Relaxation Techniques for the Stressed_: "Count to ten out loud and take slow deep breaths. Be sure to focus on your breathing. This will take your mind off the problem and provide a gentle calming relief."

There. It was working. The anxiety subsided and Lily leaned over the sink to splash her face with water. Life as a sixth-year prefect was going to be more difficult that she had predicted. Well, this was the life she chose. All right. She could do it. She had the perseverance.

Almost methodically she dried her hands as she counted her breaths to ease her anxiety before leaving the bathroom. But by the time she reached her dormitory door, Lily's heart had sunk to the pit of her stomach. The one place she could always go to be alone and think was her room. She turned the handle and entered. Unfortunately the same did not go for Hogwarts.

"What does he mean it's not in stock?" A voice screeched from within.

Lily groaned.

"Well if you had done it earlier, _Helen_, this wouldn't be an issue, would it?" Florence Page spat.

"Ugh, you're both idiots!" Charlotte snapped. "For Merlin's sake, give me the quill and _I'll_ take care of it."

Lily snuck in quietly and walked to her bed, which was nearest the door and began searching her smooth sheets and neatly folded clothes for any sign of the pin.

"Look, as long as they know I'm ordering it, there won't be a problem," Charlotte said primly. She swept the quill across the parchment with a flourish to sign her initials before rolling it up. "There. That'll teach you to order your dress robe for the Yule Ball earlier."

Lily burst with laughter, and had to clap a hand over her mouth to silence it.

Charlotte, Helen, and Florence looked up, seeming to have just noticed Lily's arrival and glared.

"Oh. It's you," Helen and Florence immediately went back to their chattering about dresses, but Charlotte's eyes lingered on Lily. Lily could feel Charlotte's gaze burning into her, but kept her head down and eyes focused on sorting through her parchment.

"So, Lily. You'll be attending the Yule Ball this year as a prefect again. What will you be wearing?"

Lily swallowed hard and looked up defiantly at Charlotte with a faint smile. "I'm not sure, actually."

"_Really_?" Charlotte looked positively ravaged. Even Helen and Florence looked up in shock. "Surely you're joking!" she tittered lightly, peering over her shoulder at Florence and Helen with mock surprise.

Lily sighed and went back to stacking her books, but Charlotte continued to push the subject. "Do you think you'll be going alone again?"

The book in her hand froze in midair and Lily gritted her teeth. "I don't know, _Charlotte_. Really, I don't plan my dress four months ahead and that goes for dates as well."

"Hmm…" Charlotte furrowed her brow. "I see. Well that explains quite a lot. Anyway," she turned back to the other girls. "_I_ believe I shall have James Potter ask me this year. He should suffice."

"Oh, he's _sooo_ handsome," Helen swooned.

"Very suitable match," Lily mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?" Charlotte's ear pricked.

Lily looked up and smiled. "I'm just congratulating your decision on choosing James. You two will make a fine pair."

Charlotte's eyes sparked. "Well. Thank you, Lily. I always enjoy your input."

Lily could practically smell the fire she was lighting beneath Charlotte's bum, and cursed herself silently. Charlotte could easily make her life at Hogwarts a living hell for a number of reasons and in a number of ways. But she couldn't help it. Charlotte was provoking her.

Florence sighed and picked up a nail file. "_I_ would have chosen Sirius, frankly. He is the best looking in the school."

"Sirius Black?" Helen raised her eyebrows eagerly.

"Yes, of _course_ Sirius Black," Florence snapped irately.

Charlotte flicked her blonde curls back. "No. He was last year. I want James this year."

"He is positively delicious, Charlotte," Helen giggled.

"I know." Suddenly her eyes flicked to the bed in the far corner. "Madeline!"

After a few moments, the small mousy brown head of Madeline popped up over the bedside, eyes peering out from behind those large lenses. She stood up and closed her novel, laying it carefully on her bed.

"Did you finish my Potions paper yet?"

"Er…" she shifted awkwardly. "Not quite. But almost. I haven't even done mine yet."

Charlotte's lower jaw jutted out in obvious anger. "You _know_ the rules, _Madeline_. You finish mine first. And it's due tomorrow! Merlin! Stop dallying." She flicked her wand-wielding wrist in the direction of the bed. "_Accio book_."

Madeline groped lamely in the air for her beloved tome as it was whisked through her fingertips. Charlotte snapped it out of the air and briefly examined the worn brown cover. "_Poems That Live Forever_. How quaint." She tossed it over her shoulder into the rubbish bin. "There. Now you can concentrate. There are you quill and parchment," Charlotte motioned with her hand.

Madeline tore her eyes away from the book lying amidst crumpled tissues and ink-botched parchment scraps and followed Charlotte's gesture to her bed where she had conjured the supplies.

Lily looked on, furious. How dare Charlotte treat her that way? Madeline was shy and Charlotte had done nothing but bully her since the moment Lily first saw her. Madeline was obviously new to Hogwarts and Charlotte was being more than cruel.

Fuming, Lily stomped over to the garbage and pulled out the small book. Then, with Florence and Helen gaping, she strode directly over to Madeline and held it out firmly for her to take. Madeline stared at the book, her lips slightly parted, then peered up at Lily unblinking.

Charlotte looked on, her eyes narrowed to thin slats.

Lily pushed the book forward, urging her to take it. Madeline blinked and glanced from Lily's kind eyes and pursed lips to Charlotte's burning gaze.

"Here," Lily said. "This must be important to you. She doesn't have the right to take your things."

Madeline's mousy face twitched and she caught Charlotte's fiery eyes once more. Then, lowering her gaze, she took a step back and turned away from Lily, bending over the bed and started scribbling silently on the parchment.

Lily stood dumbly clutching the book, which wavered slightly in her grasp. A scarlet flush crept across her cheeks at Madeline's blatant rejection. She lowered her arm dazedly, bringing the book lamely down to her side.

A small smirk had formed on Charlotte's features as she began massaging lotion into her hands. "Why don't you go find someone else to play with, Lily? She obviously doesn't want to be your friend." Florence and Helen giggled in response.

Still in shock of Madeline's reaction, Lily stared down at the worn cover of the book. She traced the words with a finger, and then walked to Madeline's side. Madeline's fiercely scribbling hand froze mid-sentence as she felt Lily's presence just above her left shoulder, but kept her head firmly bent toward her paper. Lily placed the book of poetry beside the inkbottle atop her bedspread, and without pause, walked to the door, grabbed her cloak, and left.

The girls immediately burst into a gale of laughter. Charlotte, however, stood up and stalked over to Madeline who kept her eyes averted from the impending figure now hovering, hands on hips, before her.

"Don't you _ever_ think about taking anything from her again, Madeline. As long as you're hanging out with us, you aren't to associate with that twig. Understand?"

She swallowed and nodded silently.

"Of course, not that you ever would, am I right?" Charlotte cocked her head.

Madeline was quiet, clutching her quill tightly. "…Yes."

"Just as I thought. I _am_ always right, aren't I?"

"Of course!" Helen burst, earning a reproving glare from Florence.

"Good." Charlotte waltzed back over to her bed and plopped down on the pillows, her pleated skirt billowing gracefully.

Madeline simply stared at the neatly scrawled lines on the parchment and breathed deeply. But as she dipped the quill in the inkpot, her eyes landed on the book of poems. She stared for a long moment at the cover before it disappeared beneath her nose with a snap.

"I almost forgot," Charlotte said with a titter. She now stood above Madeline with the book clutched firmly to her chest. "You won't be needing this." Lightly, she hopped back over to her bed, opened the trunk at the foot, and tossed it inside. She slammed the lid shut and flicked her wand to latch the lock.

Madeline flushed and turned her attention back to the parchment, scribbling more monotonous words. Steadily, her knuckles turned bright white as she squeezed the life out of the thin quill.

Knock-knock.

Peter rolled over on his stomach, buried his head in the fluff of his beloved pillow and groaned. "Go away."

Knock-knock-knock.

"Someone get that," James' muffled voice came from beneath the blankets.

KNOCK-KNOCK.

Sirius was snoring loudly, head hanging over the edge of his bed, a steady stream of drool making its way from the corner of his mouth to a small pool forming on the stone floor. He jerked slightly at the sound and rolled over. Remus remained like a rock, passed out on his side.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.

James' eyes flicked open.

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK-

"Oh for the love of- GET THE BLOODY DOOR!" James practically ripped the sheets off his bed as he leapt up, fuming.

He flung the door open. "WHAT?"

Lily blinked back at James, flushing slightly. "Er…" Her eyes travelled to his boxers, but she tried her hardest to avert her eyes.

James, however, didn't seem phased. But he still seemed irritable. "Well?" He barked, his pillow still clutched in his free hand. He looked ready to bean her with it.

His rudeness helped her regain composure. "I-" she frowned and peered inside. "I need to see Remus," she said firmly.

"He's asleep." James began to shut the door.

Offended, Lily caught it with the palm of her hand. "It's ten-thirty in the morning. I need to talk to Remus. It's important."

The lines between his eyebrows creased in annoyance. "It's a Saturday."

"The day of the week has no bearing on the magnitude of the emergency, Potter. Now _let _me in." Lily's eyes were slats. She would not be spoken to in such a manner. _Especially_ by Potter. She was a prefect!

James sighed, and flicked the door with his wrist, letting it fall all the way open. He scratched the back of his neck and shuffled over to Remus' bed.

Hesitantly, Lily poked her head in the door and peered around. It…_seemed_ safe. Seemed being the key word…Nonetheless, she took a drastically large step over the threshold and entered man-country. Sirius was still snoring on his back, and Lily made a face at the puddle of drool at his bedside.

There was a bit of an odd smell…

"Oy. Moony. Get up." James had leapt atop Remus' bed and kicked him in the side rather indelicately.

Lily's jaw dropped. "What are you doing to him? Get down!"

James paused his jabbing and turned to look at Lily. Amazingly Remus had slept through it. "You want him up don't you?" He jerked his head at Remus. "The bloke sleeps like a log. Literally. I'm taking necessary action-" James lifted his foot to prepare for another nasty kick.

"No! Stop!" Lily burst exasperatedly. "That's _quite_ enough!" She was absolutely furious. How dare he treat Remus that way! He was a kind, sweet boy. "_I'll_ wake him up, thank you."

James stared blankly at Lily as if she had told a joke he didn't quite understand. But when he saw the determination in her frowning features, he simply shrugged and jumped down.

"Whatever you want. I was just trying to help." Yawning, he sauntered over to his bed and collapsed on it. "You always fight the losing battles, Lilykins," he mumbled into the sheets.

Lily glared. She had to take a deep breath to calm the rising heat in the pit of her stomach. Idiot. Kindly she turned to Remus, prepared to see his open, expectant eyes, but instead met his unconscious face. He was still asleep? How could anyone sleep through that?

"Remus?" she shook his shoulder. "Remus? Remus. Remus. REMU-" The name caught in her throat as something went flying past her face.

BAM!

"Ow! Damn it!" Remus jerked open his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "What the-?" He peered up at Lily. "Oh. Morning."

Lily looked over at James. He was lounged against his headboard with a shoe in his hand. He smirked. "Just trying to help."

Lily glared at him. "Well you didn't have to throw a bloody shoe!" She turned back to Remus. "Are you all right?"

"Huh?" Remus peered down at the shoe by his pillow and shot James a glare who simply smirked and slumped down into his pillow to go back to sleep. "Yeah, I'll be fine. So what's up?"

"Oh, um…" Lily had been so distracted by the ruckus that she'd almost forgotten why she came. "Oh yes. May I speak with you?"

"Um…sure. Let me get dressed." Remus slid out of bed, his hair askew and prominent bags under his brown eyes.

Lily watched as he trudged to the bathroom. When the door shut, she had nothing to do but stand silently and awkwardly in the middle of the room waiting. She began tapping her fingers on her thigh. Her eyes travelled around the room from the Quidditch posters on the walls to the piles of dirty boxers scattered about the floor. And finally, her panning gaze jerked to a stop on James, now wide awake and eyeing her with playful interest.

She turned away quickly, focusing intently on a ball of lint in the corner to keep from blushing.

Yet her eyes crept cautiously back to James.

He was silent, but his lips slid slowly into a smirk.

"What?" she snapped, feeling her face flush despite her best efforts.

He simply shrugged and folded his hands behind his head. Then after a long pause, he leapt up and bounded over to Remus' bed and flopped down on his mussed sheets. "Hi, Lily."

She sighed. "Hello James. What do you want?"

He shrugged again and rolled over on his back so that his face was directly beneath hers and stared up earnestly at her.

Lily glowered down at him and sighed heavily again. "Don't you have anything better to do than irritate me?"

"Who, me? Oh please, you enjoy my company. Admit it." He laid a hand casually across his slender chest and began scratching his armpit.

"Ugh." She stomped to the other side of the room. "Remus, come on!"

James leapt up and followed her. Lily rolled her eyes and took a large step back.

"Don't play coy with me, Lily Evans. It's obvious what you want." His grin was dripping with mischief.

Immediately her face turned beet red. "What is _that_ supposed to mean? Get- get away from me!" She backed up further as he sidled forward, uncomfortably close. The fine laugh lines around his eyes and faint stubble on his chin were clearly visible. "I mean it, James! Don't touch me! I don't want anything from you!"

His eyes were dancing. It was then she realized he had backed her into a corner. "You mean…" he leaned in. "Not even…this?"

"Wh-wh-what-"

James pulled out a small golden badge and stuck in front of her face. Lily squinted her eyes at it. It…it was her prefect badge. That jerk!

"Give me that! Where did you find that?"

James shrugged and held it up in the light, squinting as if examining a giant gold nugget. "It was laying around."

"Laying around?" Lily burst. "I _need_ that, James! McGonagall will kill me if I lose it."

"But you haven't lost it," he grinned. "See? I have it. And I'm sure she wouldn't kill you. Maim perhaps, but kill is a tad extreme. Damn, this thing is old."

"Yes, I _know_, which is precisely why you must give it back. Now."

James tossed it up and caught it again, Lily catching her breath as the priceless heirloom flew through the air. He turned to her with a frown. "Now that tone just won't do, Lily."

"Please, James," she said desperately, holding out her hands as if trying to calm down a mental patient. "I'm begging you-"

He raised an eyebrow and immediately she regretted her words. "_Begging_, now are we…?"

"No-now that's-that's not what I meant-" Lily began to panic.

He heaved a sigh and flopped down on the edge of Sirius' bed. Sirius grumbled and rolled over. "Now. I'm sure we can come to _some_ sort of agreement."

"Agreement? Hell no we can't." James' flippant tone and attitude were _really_ getting on her nerves.

"Well, alright," James stood up and pocketed the badge, "if you insist." He headed for the door.

"WAIT!" Lily cried.

Sirius and Peter shot out of bed and looked around fearfully. Sirius was clutching the stitch of his chest. "What the bloody hell-?"

She narrowed her eyes at James and with a small sigh, gave in. "What do you propose?"

James grinned and walked back over to her. "Well…I was thinking you could be my slave." He spoke as casually as if he were discussing the weather.

Lily's jaw dropped to the floor. "Your _what_?"

"You know. My slave. You could do my homework, wash my feet, bring me butterbeer…"

"Slap you silly…" Lily finished with her arms crossed. "I hope you are joking James Potter. Now give me back my prefect badge before I take thirty points."

Sirius and Peter laughed from their beds. "Watch out James. She'll give you detention," Peter snorted.

Lily shot Peter a deadly glare that wiped the smile from his face, then turned back to James with the same intense stare, yet he appeared unaffected. "I will do no such thing. Not for a silly piece of metal."

"Hmm. Silly piece of metal, is it?" He examined her stare and pulled out his wand. In a flash, he it directed at the badge threateningly. "How silly?"

"What are you doing?" Lily cried out in panic. "You can't destroy a piece of Hogwarts history!"

"Just as I thought. Now. You can start by washing my laundry, though I must warn you, the socks are a bit-"

"Excuse me! I am _not_ going to work for you, James!"

"Er…no," James shook his head. "You misunderstand. You aren't working for me; you are my _slave_. So you shall no longer refer to me as James, but rather, _Master_ Potter. Or Commandant. Whichever you prefer."

Sirius was cracking up. Just then, Remus stepped out of the bathroom, groomed and showered, but still shaggy. He looked from James to Lily and sighed. "What's going on?"

James whipped his wand and badge behind him grinning innocently. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Remus turned to Lily. Suddenly she froze. _Tell him that James took the badge. He'd make him give it back_. But for some reason, she couldn't. Looking into Remus' kind brown eyes, something stopped her. It really wasn't that important. Besides, she'd look silly making such a huge deal over a little badge.

Like a fool she shook her head and grinned. "Yeah, they're just teasing me again. Let's go."

James' jaw dropped. They all watched in awe as Lily and Remus exited the dorm. The door shut behind them with a soft click.

"Erm…" Peter raised an eyebrow. "Did she just cover for you?"

"With Remus?" James gaped. "_Why_? He doesn't care what I do."

Sirius rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"What?" James narrowed his eyes.

He just shrugged and began combing his hair in the mirror. "It's just so obvious."

"What? What is?"

Sirius shook his head. "She fancies Moony, Prongs. Open your eyes."

Remus followed Lily out into the common room where they loitered by the fireplace. Lily sighed and folded her arms, looking at him intently.

"I know I shouldn't bother you about this, but I really need a favour."

He furrowed his brow. "Sure, what do you need?"

"I…" Lily trailed off, a bit embarrassed. "I was hoping you could talk to Charlotte."

"Charlotte," he said blankly. "Charlotte Vane?"

Lily nodded. Remus turned up the corners of his mouth knowingly and shook his head. "What's she doing now?"

"Well, there's this girl, Madeline who just started Hogwarts this year…and…Remus, she's so _horrible_ to her!" she stressed. "But she'll never listen to me. She has no respect. Remus, if you could see how she treats Madeline, you'd understand…"

Remus shook his head sceptically. "Lily, I don't know what I can do…"

"Just talk to her! See if you can get her to leave Madeline alone! She has no respect for me whatsoever. That's a fact."

"You're the authority figure! Prove that to her!" he urged.

"It doesn't matter. Anyone that is, in her opinion, below her is not authority."

Remus sighed and looked Lily in the eye. He knew she was right. "Okay. I'll see what I can do. But I won't promise anything, Lily. She won't see me any different."

"Oh no," Lily gushed immediately, rolling her eyes, "Trust me. She'll see _you_ differently."

He smiled slightly and grasped Lily's arm, squeezing it slightly. "I'll do what I can. See you in class, right?"

Lily's chest tightened. "Er…" She was suddenly very aware of Remus' hand on her arm. "Yes…I'll see you in class." She smiled, a blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.

Remus nodded and walked back to his dorm. Lily watched as he disappeared up the staircase and sank slowly into an armchair.

Oh boy…she wondered if Melinda's book had a chapter on crushes, because she could feel one coming on…


	5. The Deal

**Yay! Thank you all so much for the reviews! And Sweet Sarcasm, you are _more_ than welcome to print my stories! That was so nice of you to ask! You guys are such awesome readers- hopefully I'll have enough time to thank each of you next time!**

**Chapter Five: The Deal**

Hogwarts was growing steadily colder by the day. As fall began to wane, the golden leaves lost their lustre, turning the grounds into a sea of orange and brown. Lily waded through, kicking large bundles of leaves, sending them spewing into the air to be carried off by the wind. She huffed and stomped all the way from the greenhouse back up the steps into the courtyard. Advanced Herbology was only the second class on her schedule for the day. She had two more left.

Lily knew it was a hectic schedule, but she was not about to change it. She intended on being fully prepared for her N.E.W.T.S, even if it meant a mortally threatening class load. Of course, she had no problems keeping up; she had always been top of her class and was quite certain that would never change.

But a ruckus in the centre of the courtyard made Lily lose her train of thought. A small group of first-year boys were chattering and laughing loudly, gathered around something. Immediately her prefect-sense began tingling. It was her duty to investigate. Puffing up her chest slightly, Lily began to stalk over to the giggling group.

A little blonde boy peered over his shoulder and spotted Lily, his eyes widening. Immediately, he jerked on the sleeve of the boy next to him and whispered urgently in his ear. This made Lily walk a little faster.

"What's going on here?" Lily approached, eyes narrowed and hands on hips.

"Nothing," two of them responded immediately in unison.

"Uh huh," she was not swayed. "What are you looking so guilty for?"

While most of the boys looked scared, one of them rolled his eyes at her. "We aren't doing anything, so could you go _away_?"

Lily blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. We're busy." He raised his chin and cocked his head provokingly at her. His dusty black hair swished across his forehead and the corners of his lips twitched in amusement. Well. If _he_ didn't remind her of someone right now…Those taunting eyes…just like-

"What's going on?"

Lily's eyes flicked up from the first-year and landed on James. Speak of the devil.

The defiant boy grinned at James' arrival and took a step toward him. "Hi James," he said admiringly.

"Hello David! How's it going then?" James grinned and ruffled the kid's hair. The boy smiled sheepishly in admiration and turned back to Lily with a revitalized boldness. Something told Lily this rebellious streak may have been taught and not inherent after all…

"James, do you mind?" Lily sighed. She needed to get him out of there. There was no way this boy David was going to confess with James around boosting his mischievous confidence.

He shrugged. "Not really." He settled down on the edge of the planter and winked at one of the boys. "You need something?"

"James…" she said warningly. He simply cocked his head and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Lily sighed, realizing he wasn't going anywhere, and turned back to little David. "Just tell me what you're hiding."

"I'm not hiding anything!" He said, folding his arms. "Snitch."

Lily's jaw dropped. How disrespectful could a kid get? "Would you _like_ me to take points from you?"

He just glared back at her.

She was about to give the little rat detention when James opened his mouth. "Lils, the kid's harmless. They're just having fun. Now…go…run along. I'm sure you've got prefect things to take care of. Am I right?"

…Run…along? "How dare you speak to m-"

"Lily," he said as he began tossing something in the air, "just calm down. I'm sure we can work something out."

She wanted to smack him. But it was that moment that she realized James was casually flipping her prefect badge up and down with the flick of his wrist. She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. "All right, fine. Just don't make so much racket in the courtyard." And with that Lily stomped off.

Lousy James, turning every roguish first-year into a potential marauder. That was the absolute last thing she needed next year. Merlin! If she could just get that stupid badge back she could forget about him! Argh!

FWUMP.

Lily fell flat on her face, her parchment and books strewn across the floor of the corridor. In her all her silent ranting, she'd failed to notice the pile of books lying in the middle of the hall. Then, BAM!

"Ow! Bloody hell!" Lily clutched the side of her head in agony as books flew past her face. One by one, they shot through the air from within a classroom, the pages ripping and fluttering about. "What in-"

Lily pushed herself up and walked into the classroom, ducking as another book flew over her head. "What- PEEVES!"

The podgy poltergeist grinned and tossed another book her way.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing to Professor Flitwick's library?" Lily cried, pulling out her wand.

"Ho ho ho!" Peeves did a somersault and belched, firing more books from his mouth. "Ickle Lilykins Miss Priss Prissy Prefect to the rescue! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

In a puff of smoke, he disappeared. Lily moaned audibly and stared at the mess of books. This was going to take forever to clean up! Slowly and with a sigh, she pulled out her wand and began sending the books back to their rightful places on the shelves. Of course, she had to figure out what order they had been in.

She glanced down at her watch. The next Charms class wouldn't start for another two hours, so she had time. One by one she ordered the books neatly on the shelves, cursing Peeves all the while.

But as the pile waned, a certain book caught Lily's eye. She picked it up and dusted off the cover with her sleeve. "_Crime and Punishment: An Advanced Theory of Charms in Magical Law Enforcement_," she read aloud thoughtfully. Interesting. Curious, she flipped open the worn cover and fingered through the pages. There were hundreds of charms listed, from simple cheering charms to advanced body part replacement ones. But it gave detailed descriptions of each charm's usage in magical law enforcement, specifically tracking, capture, retrieval and…(Lily's eyes widened) _torture_.

A light bulb flickered on in the back of her mind. Hee hee hee.

"Miss Evans?" A high-pitched voice broke her concentration.

Lily dropped the book and it fell in with the sea of the others. "Erm…hello Professor Flitwick! Peeves was here and, well, he sort of destroyed your library. I was trying to clean up."

Flitwick gasped. "Oh my! Blasted poltergeist. Well thank you, Miss Evans. I appreciate the assistance."

"Oh, of course," Lily shot him her winning prefect smile, but her eyes lingered on _Crime and Punishment_, peering out from beneath several other books. "Erm…well I had better get to class!"

"Ah…" Flitwick looked a bit startled as Lily scrambled past him, tripping over a few books on her way as she zipped out the door.

Pausing just outside the room, Lily clasped her hands with glee. That book could be the answer to her problems...there were bound to be some good spells to use against James, and perhaps she could finally have some control over him! Smiling to herself, Lily's eyes flickered briefly back inside Flitwick's room to the pile of books before she strode off down the corridor to her next class with an extra bounce in her step.

"I'm sure we'll win it this year. We can't lose with James." Sirius took a bite of toast and had barely swallowed the lot before he stuffed more in his mouth. "The way I see it, we're undefeatable."

"'Undefeatable' isn't a word, Padfoot," Remus drawled, taking a sip of his tea.

"Morning." Peter and James plopped down at the table on either side of Remus, knocking his elbows and causing his tea to slop. Remus frowned disapprovingly and went back to reading the _Daily Prophet_.

A small huddle of girls passed by at the same moment, giggling and waving. Remus was oblivious while James, Peter, and Sirius flashed them winning grins.

"…Hufflepuffs, right?" Sirius whispered to James through the corner of his grin.

James nodded and turned his attention back to the table, dishing up massive amounts of food onto his plate. "I think I dated the brunette."

Peter chuckled then began fighting with Sirius for the last muffin.

"What 'cha reading?" James leaned in toward Remus, slathering his toast with butter.

"Just an article…" Remus set the paper down and stood up abruptly. "I have to get to class. See you later."

"Moony-" James frowned asRemus grabbed his bag and strode out of the Hall. James turned back to Peter and Sirius who had stopped bickering and were staring quizzically back at James. "Has he been like this all morning?"

Sirius shrugged. "I dunno, mate. It's not the…" he lowered his voice, "It isn't the full moon for another week."

"I know," James sighed. "I'll have a chat with him later."

Sirius' attention was suddenly directed just past James' shoulder. He winked and grinned. "Incoming…"

Charlotte Vane approached, flicked her Shirley Temple curls over her shoulder and pouted her lips. "Hello boys," she crooned, slipping into the seat between James and Peter.

Peter grinned, but James was less than thrilled. "Not right now, Charlotte. We're busy."

"Well I'm sure you have time for me," she simpered, pinching Peter's cheek. He blushed and nearly passed out.

"What do you want?"

Sirius was watching with interest, his chin in his hand. Florence and Helen were gazing at him intently with stars in their eyes, pouting their lips in the hopes he would look their way.

Charlotte smirked at James' bitter front. "I _want_," she leaned closer, "you to take me to the Yule Ball."

"The Yule Ball." James stared at her blankly and Sirius burst out laughing.

"_What_ is so _funny_?" She snapped.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Sirius waved his hand. "Do go on."

James interrupted her before she could continue. "Look, it's a bit early to find a date, don't you think? Besides, I may not want to go with you when the time comes."

Charlotte smiled and smoothed a strand of his hair as he stared dully off into space, clearly uninterested. "I know you'll come to your senses. I just wanted to let you know my intentions, as every lady should."

She slipped out of the seat, running her foot coyly along James' leg as she did so, but he remained passive. "I'll see you in class," she whispered in his ear. Her girlfriends tittered and followed her out of the Hall.

James immediately groaned as Sirius began laughing. "She took me last year. It's your turn."

"Doesn't she know I'm not interested anymore?" James snarled and flicked his toast with the knife. "Been there, done that, you know?"

"I think she's marvellous," Peter's eyes twinkled with delight.

"Well I wouldn't call Charlotte boring if that's what you mean," Sirius chuckled through a mouthful.

"Whatever. I've got better things to think about. Like Quidditch." James shifted his attention elsewhere and began daydreaming about Snitches and Quaffles.

Lily traversed the hallways, dodging the barrage of students rushing to lunch. It was difficult being a hardworking student, she sighed. She was one of very few who had to fight the flow at lunchtime to reach the library. Along the way, the buzz of chatter filtered through her ears, and she picked up bits and pieces of conversation, mostly about the Marauders, rumours of a Bogart in the Potions storeroom, and of course, the much anticipated Quidditch season.

"Gryffindor will dominate for sure this season," a young boy said to his friend.

"I don't know, Slytherin's looking good too," his friend refuted.

She pushed past a huddle of third-year girls.

"I hear James has never lost."

"Ever?"

"Mmm hmm. My roommate said that every game he's ever played, he's won. That's why he's Team Captain."

Lily's ears prickedandshe paused in her tracks,peering over slyly at the chattering girls. She pretended to be digging for something in her book bag.

The girl continued, "I'm not so sure this year, what with Slytherin's new captain."

"Oh but James is so wonderful!"

"Yes, and gorgeous! Mmm…but so is Remus."

"I prefer Sirius. He's got that roguish quality…"

_Roguish quality_? Lily frowned. Poor, poor naïve little girls.

"Doesn't matter, James is still the best."

"I agree. Alright, c'mon Gretchen I'm _starving_!"

"Okay, okay."

The small group moved away from Lily and joined the flow of traffic. Hmph. Lily shut her bag and made her way to the library, grumbling all the way. James this and James that. Why is James so bloody great? So he won a few games…and he was sort of nice looking…and he was good at pulling pranks…and he was smart…but he was a bully! And a jerk!

Then again…what did she have to rival James? Book smarts? Sure, she was intelligent enough, but not like James. He was clever and witty, and had a whole ton of common sense. Lily was just…Lily.

She sighed and pushed her way through the double doors and found a comfortable chair in her favourite nook of the library. Madame Pince greeted her warmly on the way in, which was rare for any student. Taking a load off, Lily slouched into the seat and pulled out her Arithmancy Level Three text.

She had gotten about four pages in when she noticed another student had joined her a few seats away. Remus Lupin brushed the brown hair from his eyes and flipped open his text, which he appeared to be skimming quite intently…Dare she interrupt him?

Lily watched for ten whole minutes, as he scanned the words, his brow furrowed and his mouth in a straight line. Taking a resolute breath, she shut her book and stood up, walked over to him and sat down across the way.

"Erm…hi, Remus."

His eyes flickered upward and he immediately shut his book. "Hi…hi, Lily. What are you doing here at lunch?"

"I could ask you the same..." she said, trying to be coy.

He frowned and looked at the clock on the wall. "Well I had better be going. I've got a lot to do. I'll- er-see you at the Prefect meeting tomorrow, shall I then?"

"Ah…" Before Lily could finish he had gathered his things and left. Good one, Lily, she commended herself bitterly.

But she didn't have much time to reprimand herself any longer,because as Remus exited the double doors, a hovering trolley filled with textbooks making its way inside had caught her attention. A jaunty looking house elf with an abnormally large head was flicking his hands to and fro, balancing the overflowing trolley with his magic.

"Shipment from Professor Flitwick," the house elf said importantly. One of his ears was longer than the other and it flopped about as he spoke.

Madame Pince dropped her spectacles to the tip of her nose and eyed the cart. "Oh yes. The ones to be reconditioned. I spoke to him earlier. Just take them to my office." She pointed primly to the opposite side of the library.

The elf nodded and hopped along, he and his cart drifting past Lily. She watched slyly as it passed, tilting her head inquisitively. There, teetering perilously off the front end, was _Crime and Punishment_ in all its glory.

…Perhaps she could just…no. NO. She couldn't! She was a prefect, for Merlin's sake! She couldn't go around pilfering books like some marauder. There were already _plenty _of those at Hogwarts, she scoffed to herself.

Then again…was it not for a good cause? Really, she only wanted to skim it…perhaps find some useful spells to use against the forces of evil (i.e. James Potter) for the forces of good (i.e. her) and then she'd give it right back! And it _was_ a library after all.

She shot one more glance at the cart as the elf directed it past, the book still balancing dangerouslyon the edge.

Clearly it was Fate. How could she pass up such an opportunity?

Immediately, Lily slipped her hand into her robes and felt for her wand. Casually, she headed over to the bookshelves, pretending to be interested, and as the cart hovered by, Lily discreetly jabbed her wand in its direction. Without a sound, the book slid off the head of the cart, Lily snatching it up and slipping it behind her back as the house elf passed. She quickly shot the elf a nervous grin who smiled back and continued on his merry way.

Quite stiffly, Lily sped from the library, her legs taking strides twice the normal size, and small beads of sweat forming on her brow. Once she'd burst out from the double doors, she broke into a run.

Ohmerlinohmerlinohmerlin she just stole a book. STOLE A _BOOK_. What if Madame Pince noticed and told Flitwick who would tell McGonagall who would tell Dumbledore who would be ashamed to have a thief as a prefect, nay, as a _student_, and expel her! Augh! She was doomed! Deep breaths, Lily. Deeeep breaths…eeeeee-huuuuuhh eeeeee-huuuuuh-

SLAM!

Lily was thrown backwards from the collision, and landed flat on her bum. "Ugh…ow…" Rubbing her backside, she shook the stars from her eyes and peered up.

James was standing a few paces away, leaning down to pick up _Crime and Punishment_.

"No!" Lily leapt from the ground and made a dive for the novel, but James already had it in the air.

He frowned and cocked an eyebrow. "Calm down. I'll clean this up for you."

All of Lily's things were strewn across the floor, but she hadn't noticed. She was leaping up and down like a child, trying to get the book from James' raised arm. "James, give me that book right now!"

The faintest smirk flitted across James' face, his eyes alight with a new mischief, and immediately Lily knew she had made a mistake. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Er…" Lily stopped grasping for the book and folded her arms haughtily. "No reason. Keep it if you like. I don't care."

"Oh. All right then." James smiled happily and flipped open the cover roughly. "Thanks."

"Gah! Careful!" Lily exclaimed, lunging forward once more. But James simply slammed it shut and lifted it casually out of her reach again.

"Ah, Lily, you are _too_ much fun."

She grimaced and gritted her teeth. "Fine. Just start a _pool_ of valuable things to blackmail me with." She dropped to her kneesin a huff and began scrounging for all the papers that had spewedacross the floor. But a hand in her face made her pause.

James had crouched down and was holding out the book to her.

Lily frowned. "What…you're just going to give it to me?"

James shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. I don't need it."

Warily she reached for it, then hesitated, her hand hanging just centimetres away. "Just like that?" Her green eyes were searching his.

James smirked. "Just like that."

Still wearing an obvious frown, Lily took the book, her suspicious eye still intently holding James' gaze. They both stood up and Lily quickly shoved it into her book bag, leaping back a step to ensure her safety.

"So…" Lily paused awkwardly and tilted her head. "I don't suppose you could give me my badge back as well."

James laughed. "Yeah right. I need _some_ blackmail." He grinned.

"Right..." Lily grimaced and pulled the strap of her book bag back over her shoulder.

Then, asJames was walking away, he called back over his shoulder, "Not that I don't already have you by a string."

Lily's felt her face flush a vibrant scarlet and her fists began to shake. That…_cocky_…


	6. March to the Scaffold

**A/N: Thank you again for all the awesome reviews! There was a question about me having a Livejournal...no I do not, but I do have a Myspace. If you want to check it out, you can access it through my profile at the 'homepage' link. Sorry I can't be more detailed in my thank you's, but I have an exam to study for!**

**Chapter Six: March to the Scaffold**

It was a glorious day, indeed.

Lily sighed and smoothed her ponytail and, oh what the heck, undid the first button of her blouse and loosened the tie. Ah, freedom! She practically skipped down the steps into the courtyard, the sun beaming amidst the puffy white clouds, and the birds chirping delightedly. It was picture perfect.

Students were lounging about the grounds reading and chattering in the crisp autumn air. Lily even greeted a few of them with one hand, and the other, shoved deep in her left pocket, was wrapped securely around a page of parchment she had used to jot down a few particularly good spells to use on James. And she was quite prepared to use them all. Heh heh heh. That'd show the little-

ZZZZZOOOOOM!

Lily ducked for cover as a gigantic bird zipped over her head. Several hairs from her tight ponytail came loose and fluttered in the wake of the creature's dive.

"What in the-" Lily straightened up, hands on hips.

"Oy! Bloody hell, look at that!" Someone cried, pointing at the bird which was coming back for a second round. But wait…that was no bird-

"Someone's got a broom!" A first-year girl squealed, pointing at the giant object before running to get out of its way.

ZZZZOOOOOM!

It nearly took off Lily's arm. "Oh for Merlin's sake! Now you come down here this instant!" She cried exasperatedly after the illegal flyer. "Eek!" Lily ducked again, shielding her head as the broom and its rider took another deadly dive over her.

Now she was furious. Whipping out her wand, she directed it at the rider. "Forty points! From…wherever you're from!" she cried, sending a mild shocking spell in his direction. "_Stupefy_!"

But the rider caught on, evading the blast, and took off toward the Quidditch pitch.

"You aren't getting away _that_ easily," Lily muttered, hiking up her robes and taking off after him.

Students were watching with incredible interest now, some rooting Lily on, but most of them laughing. "Someone please alert Professor McGonagall!" She hollered over her shoulder.

She huffed, practically out of breath and came to a staggering halt half-way to the field. She could see him in the distance trying to get away. Well, not on her watch. She wasn't top student for nothing.

"_Accio broom_," she jabbed her wand at the rider. Suddenly, the broom began shaking, and it became obvious that the rider was loosing control. Lily smiled to herself and watched as the broom brought itself and its rider (though desperately trying to stop it) smoothly over to Lily. It was at that moment Lily realized the flyer was not the only mischief-maker in the area.

As if sensing the presence of a snitch, four boys leapt out from behind the bushes and made a break for the castle.

"Ah ah ah," she waved her finger and pointed her wand at them as well.

The boys jerked to a stop in their tracks and began wincing as some invisible force began dragging them backwards by their ears. Just then, the broom rider landed, tumbling to the ground. When he stood up and tried to run, Lily caught the collar of his cloak and spun him around.

"Just what did you boys think you were- _David_!" Lily furrowed her brow. She should have known. Gazing defiantly back at her beneath shaggy dark fringe was the very same little boy whom she'd encountered in the courtyard a week ago. The little disciple of James Potter.

David was wearing a foul grimace, and the other boys a look of wide-eyed fear. Lily released them and placed her hands on her hips in a motherly fashion. "And just what are you first-years doing with an _illegal_ broomstick? It goes against all the rules, as I'm more than certain you are aware."

The boys sighed and shrugged, David seeming to take the lead. "Whatever you say. We were just having fun."

"Well fun isn't allowed," Lily said bluntly. "Er…illegal fun that is."

David rolled his eyes and held out his hand. "Can I have my broom back now? '_I promise I won't do it again._'"

Lily narrowed her eyes. This bloody kid was really getting on her nerves. "Absolutely not." Lily picked it up with a flourish. "I must confiscate it."

"Awww," the boys cried in unison.

"What?" A blonde one with freckles frowned. "That's not fair!"

"Not fair? You broke the rules. You have to suffer the consequences. Now where did you get a broom like this from? Someone must have sent it to you."

The boys were mum. The blonde one with freckles began grinding a hole in the dirt with the tip of his shoe. Lily tilted her head and tried to make eye contact with him. "Hmmm? Who gave it to you? I may lighten your punishment if you name names…"

The boy looked extremely nervous, the others staring at him warningly.

"Don't worry about them," Lily waved her hand. "Now who was it? Huh? Spit it out or it's detention for the lot of you."

"It was…" the boy began, lowering his voice to a whisper with each word, "It was… Prongs-"

"An-_drew_!" David hissed, stepping on his foot.

"Ow!" Andrew winced. "What? She's going to give us detention! I don't want that! My mum'll kill me!"

Prongs…did he mean…? Of course he did. James. "Did James give you this broom?" It was all coming together now. That's why they were huddled in the courtyard the other day. "Tell me, it was him wasn't it-"

"_Expelliarmus_!"

"Augh!" Lily was slung backwards, her wand, books and the broom flying from her hands.

David had blasted her with his wand when she wasn't looking. That little rat. He and the boys took off running, disappearing around the corner of the path.

Furious, Lily stood up and dusted herself off. Detention for all of them! _And_ James Potter the instigator! Hmmph. She looked around for her books and wand. Great…where had her things gone? She turned her gaze upward to the tree branches above. Jammed betweena few twisted limbswere her precious books, and teetering far out of reach at the top was her wand. Blast. Now what?

Lily placed her hands on her hips and examined her surroundings. Hmmm…there was that broom. Picking it up and smoothing a few of the broken twigs at the end, she examined it. Looked safe enough. Come to think of it…she'd never really been on a broom much before. Sure, first year she learned to ride, but that was only a brief course.

But how else was she going to get up to those branches and retrieve her things?

All right, Lily. One leg over the handle…and… "Eep!" Lily felt her feet leaving the ground. In a whoosh, she was up in the air, zipping around the tree in circles.

"Wheeeeee! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Lily cried out. This was fantastic! She'd forgotten how much she enjoyed this! With grace quite uncommon for her when her feet were on the ground, she plucked her things from the branches and glided safely to the grass.

She chuckled to herself and tossed the broom over her shoulder. That was quite fun. Then she hesitated.

Glancing over her shoulder, she could see the three giant goal posts of the Quidditch Pitch rising in the distance. She'd never actually been to the Quidditch Pitch other than to watch a game her first year. Maybe it would be fun just to…

But no…she shook her head. That would be silly. She didn't even like Quidditch that much. Resolutely, she turned her back to the field and marched off back to the castle. She had detentions to serve.

* * *

"Hogsmeade weekend!" Sirius twirled his wand and plopped down on the couch in front of the common room fire. "We're about due for a Zonko's run, Jamesie."

James frowned and flicked a bit of lint from his sleeve. "Like we can't go there whenever we like…"

Sirius shook his head and leaned forward excitedly. "Yes, but it's no fun without the other students! You can only set off so many dungbombs in the Hog's Head before it gets a bit old."

"In other words," James rolled his eyes, "You miss the girls."

Sirius lounged back and propped his head up with folded hands. "Indeed, my dear boy. Indeed."

James laughed and tossed Sirius a pumpkin pastie he had stashed in his pocket.

He caught it deftly, unwrapped it, and had swallowed the whole thing in one swift motion. "So tell me, James," he ran a hand through his hair. "Who _are_ you going to take to the Yule Ball?"

James snorted with laughter. "Nice impression of Charlotte, Padfoot. Really, that was good."

But Sirius just sort of smiled. "Actually, I was sort of serious."

James stopped chewing. "Er…okay. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was thinking about…" Sirius leaned in with a grin. "Asking Evans."

James sprayed pumpkin pastie all over the floor, coughing and sputtering.

"Whoa, James, are you alright?" Sirius slapped James over the back, causing him to cough even more.

"Augh- I'm- I'm fine Sirius-!" James straightened up and dusted himself off. He turned his head to find half the common room staring. "What?" he bellowed. Immediately the students dispersed and scampered upstairs.

Sirius was smirking. "What's the matter with you? You jealous or something?"

James scoffed. "_No_. Why the hell would I be jealous of you?"

"Oh…" Sirius said demurely, "I meant jealous of Evans…I know how much you wanted to go with me." He batted his eyelashes.

James threw a chocolate frog at him which he ducked. "So'd you ask her yet?"

"Nah. I'm making it my new project."

"You're joking, right?" James frowned. "Evans? She'll never fall for it."

"James, please. You are speaking to the king. What's not to love about me?"

James shrugged. "I'll humour you."

"Besides," his eyes lit up, "She's absolutely gorgeous! I mean, you've _seen_ her lately haven't you?"

"Yes. She's alright."

"Alright? James-" he hissed, "She's-she's-"

"Behind you."

"Huh?" Sirius spun around to see Lily with her hands on her hips, foot tapping and eyes menacing. "Lily…" he immediately grinned and eyed her with interest. "Hi."

Lily ignored him. "James, detention. And forty points from Gryffindor."

The grin on Sirius' face faded. "…what?" He turned to James who was perched casually on the arm of the sofa, head tilted in amusement.

"Did you hear me?" Lily said, her lips pursed.

James nodded. "Uh huh. For what?"

"For giving those boys a _broomstick_! They were first-years, James!"

Sirius smiled. "Nice, James."

"They were just having a bit of fun. No harm."

"No…harm…?" Lily scowled. "That David boy nearly took off my head! Twice!"

Sirius was cracking up. James just shook his head lovingly. "That's my boy."

Lily was not amused. "James, I'm giving you detention."

"And…?"

"And…" her face fell. "You don't…care?"

James laughed. "Why should I? You aren't really going to."

Lily's jaw dropped. "Wh- _excuse me_? I am a pre-"

"Yes, you're a prefect, we _know_ already," James rolled his eyes irately. "Look, just go bother someone else for awhile. Sirius and I were in the middle of a conversation."

The pit of her stomach began to boil. "How dare you boss me around, James Potter- just because you have my-" she paused mid-sentence. He still had her badge. But really? She couldn't continue this way! He really did have her by a string, and that was no way to perform her prefect duties. She would just have to suffer the consequences and go directly to McGonagall with the news of her incompetence. Lily's eyes narrowed and she pulled out her wand. "Detention, James."

He laughed and shook his head again. "Just who do you think you are, Evans?"

"James…" Sirius said warningly, but James wasn't listening.

"No one tells me what to do. Not the world, not this school, and _certainly_ not you," James growled cockily. "No one has ever beaten me, and no one ever will."

Lily simply gazed back at him calmly. "Funny thing…" she said, pulling out the bit of parchment stashed in her pocket. "You seem to forget that you're lacking in one area."

James' brow furrowed as Lily waved her wand complicatedly, sending a series of blue and green sparks flying. They danced around James momentarily, and in a mere second, had formed a blue and green glittering cage around him. He gaped in awe.

"I'm top student," she smiled sweetly, "And you, clearly, are not." With a flourish, she made the cage hover at her will.

James' anger was beyond words, but he used them nonetheless. "Evans, you little-" He lunged forward, ramming into the magical bars,but was slung backwards in a shower of sparks. Grimacing, he sat up,realizing Sirius was rolling on the floor with laughter. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. "It's not BLOODY FUNNY!" he cried. Already, several students had gathered to see what the commotion was all about.

Lily folded her arms and smiled at James. "I'm going to make sure you serve that detention, and this is how."

James was fuming. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small prefect badge. Lily blanched. If he destroyed it-

But with an angry toss, James sent the little badge flying through the magical bars, causing some sparks of blue to dance around it, and it landed at Lily's feet.

"Here. Take it. I don't need it anyway," he said as his confidence came rushing back. "You're already in deep as it is. I don't need this to ruin your prefect status."

Lily's brow furrowed. What was that supposed to mean? But she didn't really care to ask. She bent down and scooped up the pin, tucking it safely in her pocket. With a wave of her wand, she sent the cage out the portrait hole, James stumbling as it took off. She was going to make sure he stayed within magical walls and served his detention if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

"You won't be-_lieve_ where Prongs is," Sirius gloated, bursting through his dormitory door.

Remus raised an eyebrow, but continued scribbling away on some parchment, nonplussed.

Sirius plopped down beside him, causing Remus' inkpot to slosh all over the bed. Remus waved his wand irately over the spot mumbling, "_Scourgify._"

"What…don't tell me you don't know. I thought all prefects knew what went on with matters of punishment."

Remus sighed. "We aren't telepathically connected, Padfoot." Then, to humour him, he added, "What happened to James?"

Sirius' eyes lit up with glee and he opened his mouth to speak when the door burst open.

Peter stood at the threshold, grasping the stitch of his chest as he took one giant breath and blurted, "LilyEvansjustputJamesinamagicalcageandgavehimdetentionwitheveryonewatchingandnowJamesisabsolutelyfuriousohyoushouldhavebeenthere!"

Remus' eyes widened and his jaw dropped visibly.

"Damn you, Pete! _I_ was going to tell him!" Sirius cried, leaping off of the bed with his wand pulled on the stout boy.

Sirius was in the middle of giving Peter a magical wedgie when Remus jumped out of his bed and burst through the door without a word.

Peter and Sirius just stared at each other blankly.

"You don't suppose…"

"He's going to warn Lily," Sirius finished, as a sudden realization set in. The humour had escaped his eyes and Peter began to look a little fearful. Whatever feelings Sirius sensed James may have had for Lily on the train had surely dissipated.

* * *

Lily's book bag bounced against her leg as she marched through the halls, chin held high, and a fresh feeling of pride coursing through her veins. James was locked away in Filch's office thanks to the help of her favourite new Charms book, and _she_…she was golden. Absolutely golden.

_Yes, Lily_, she patted herself on the back, _you are indeed a brilliant mind. Whoops, watch your step there! Eh heh heh._ Lily flushed as she almost stumbled over a first-year tying her shoe.

But people were staring…quite a bit. In fact, they had been staring for quite awhile. As she passed, she picked up bits and pieces of their whispered conversations, but she couldn't quite tell what they were saying.

Every time she turned around, it seemed a small group was shushing each other and scurrying away from Lily's prying eyes. Had they all heard what she'd done to James?

"Whoa!" Lily almost ran smack dab into Remus. "Hello, Remus, what are you-"

"Shhh," he hissed, and before she could say another word, he had grabbed her by the arm and pulled her around the corner into an empty classroom. Oh my…could he…? She and Remus? Here? Now? Like this? Lily was getting flustered…this was highly inappropriate. Two prefects sneaking off into a classroom to…well…Lily blushed.

"Remus," Lily stammered, "I don't think we should-"

"Lily, we need to talk about James," he turned to her firmly, after checking to make certain the room was empty.

Lily's face froze. "Oh," her shoulders sagged slightly. "Er…" she plastered on her bright smile. "What about James?"

Remus sighed and looked around, avoiding eye contact. "You put him in a cage?"

Lily blanched. "Yes, well- how did you know?"

"People are talking."

"Yes, I noticed," Lily peered around the classroom. She'd never seen this one before. It seemed to be just a spare room, empty and filled with clutter…but her eyes drifted to the back where an old dusty piano sat buried beneath old blackboards. Was this a music room? She turned her attention back to Remus who was now eyeing her with concern. "About that…"

"Rumours fly here," Remus waved his hand absently.

"Wait- what rumours? What do they think I-"

"Look, Lily, they think you're either insanely brave or just…er…insane. And they have every reason."

"Insane?" Lily put her hands on her hips huffily. "He deserved what he got!"

"Nonetheless," he looked slightly distraught, "James is not…he has never been one to wrestle with. Do you understand me, Lily?"

She didn't understand what he was getting all worked up over. James was just a pompous rich boy who needed to be put in his place. "Well I don't care what everyone says. James is staying in detention, and he is not coming out for Hogsmeade."

"I doubt that…" Remus muttered, but Lily didn't quite catch it. "Lily, you know what James is like."

She shrugged. "Yes. And…?"

"_And_, he doesn't like to lose, Lily."

She raised her eyebrows. "Well then he'll just have to learn. I'm tired of him parading about this school as if he owns every bit of land we walk on."

"Well, his father does put a lot of money into this school, as have a long line of Potters."

"You aren't hearing me, Remus," Lily folded her arms. "I'm not going to let a series of rich snobs have reign over this castle. It's not fair and it isn't right. Just because Potter, Charlotte, her friends, Sirius, the Dalby twins, and every other pureblood family here donates a thousand galleons a day doesn't mean they're better than everyone else. I mean, Remus, you should at least sympathize with that!"

Remus just sighed. "You have a lot of gall challenging James Potter."

"I know," Lily said. "But I think it's time someone did."

He shook his head. "I don't know how much I can do to keep him from retaliating, Lily. And believe me, when James wants revenge, he _gets_ revenge."

"Oh please. He's had it out for me since day one. I've put up with his pathetic pranks. I'm used to it."

"No…this is different, Lily. That was just James being friendly. He loves to tease and humiliate. It's in his blood," he rolled his eyes. "But this…this, Lily, you need to watch out for. If James starts a Prank War with you, there's no going back. I just hope you're prepared for that."

Lily's stomach began doing flip-flops, but her features remained calm. "I can handle James. I am top student, after all. That's got to count for something, right?" She laughed nervously.

Remus didn't even crack a smile. He just grasped her shoulder in a soldierly manner and looked her in the eye. "I'll do what I can to keep him off your back. But I don't have much sway with James, even as his best friend."

With that, he turned and left the room, the door clicking shut behind him. Lily was left alone in the small, dusty old music room. A slight shiver went up her spine as she pictured the horrid look on James' face as she had hauled him away in that magical cage. Why did she suddenly have the icy cold feeling that she was marching up the scaffold to her death?


	7. Someone's Plotting

**This chapter is for Brit (and all my other faithful reviewers), whom I kept waiting far too long. Sorry!**

**(I am counting down the minutes, as I am sure all of you are, until the release TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT of HPHBP! This chapter is in honour of the oh-so-glorious release!)**

**Chapter Seven: Someone's Plotting**

A soft breeze rattled the window in Lily's dorm. She reached over from her desk and latched it unconsciously with a quick wave of her wand. She was quite absorbed in chapter seventeen of _Detoxify, De-stress, _etc. entitled "Tossing the Garden Nome: A Theory of Anger Management."

Lily was halfway through the fourth paragraph when the door creaked open and Madeline slunk inside, carrying an armful of scrolls. Lily wouldn't have noticed, but she heard a slight sniffling and set down her book.

"Hello, Madeline," Lily said without hesitation. Lily wasn't going to let the poetry book incident get in the way of any possible friendship. Besides, Melinda…er, Miss Moonshine, recommended in her book that she be open to as many new people as possible. Not only would it boost her self-esteem, but theirs as well.

Plus, she'd do just about anything to get Charlotte's knickers in a twist.

Madeline sort of froze, eyes wide and glowing behind the pile of scrolls as if not entirely sure what to do…or rather like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I have a spell for that, if you need some help," Lily offered, motioning toward the scrolls.

Madeline still said nothing. It then occurred to Lily what an awkward position she was putting Madeline in. Charlotte had probably forbidden her to speak to Lily. Well, that snob wasn't going to control Madeline like that if Lily had anything to say about it-

"Er…that would be nice, thank you," Madeline said, blowing a strand of hair from her eyes.

Lily hesitated, shocked that she'd agreed so quickly, but then a smile crept slowly across her features. She waved her wand and the scrolls drifted from Madeline's hands into a neat stack on her desk.

"You sure have a lot of work there. Is that for Advanced Potions? I wouldn't be surprised…" Lily trailed off, realising that Madeline wasn't listening. Instead, her eyes had travelled over Lily's shoulder and widened considerably at what she saw.

Lily turned, following her gaze and immediately flushed. Madeline was staring at the broom Lily had confiscated.

"Oh, er…heh heh," she laughed nervously sliding over to it and tucking it quickly behind her desk. "I was just, erm, well, I confiscated it, you see…I mean, I don't really fly or anything…" Rats. How embarrassing. Lily was meaning to turn that in…but it would just be thrown into the broom closet and get no use and, well, she really didn't see any point in that…

But Madeline had apparently been staring at something else. Her eyes seemed even larger behind those giant lenses of hers. "What…what is _that_?"

"Erm…" Lily stepped aside as Madeline rushed past her, snatching something from Lily's tidy desk. "Oh, that," Lily waved her hand. "I pulled it out of the rubbish. Really, I mean, that Charlotte needs to-"

Lily froze when she saw Madeline's face. There were a few tears sparkling in her eyes as she clutched the book of poetry Charlotte had carelessly thrown away tightly to her chest.

"I-well-it was a bit presumptuous of me I suppose, but it seemed important to you, so I-"

Madeline flushed with embarrassment and wiped the tears quickly from her eyes. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I thought I'd lost it."

A warm grin spread across Lily's features. "Sure. We just won't mention it to Charlotte, will we?"

Madeline chuckled softly and stashed the book beneath her pillow. "I'm…I'm sorry for the way Charlotte treats you, Lily," she said bashfully. "She's not a very…nice person."

"Not particularly, no."

The two girls fell into a fit of giggles at the understatement, but were soon interrupted by the dormitory door bursting open. Lily was still smiling, but Madeline became quite stony-faced and scuttled over to her bed, pretending to have been working on a scroll.

Charlotte strode into the room, tossing her book bag languorously behind her where a disgruntled-looking Helen caught it just in time. Florence trailed in, letting the door slam behind her.

Lily couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She was too happy that she had just, maybe-_maybe_, made a friend. However, she must have looked particularly goofy grinning ear to ear for no apparent reason, for Charlotte stopped abruptly in front of her and grimaced. "What are _you_ so happy about, Evans?"

The up-close view of Charlotte's thickly layered eye makeup and pursed glossy lips were an effective means of destroying her smile. Lily just sighed and turned away. "No reason."

Charlotte's eyes narrowed. With a huff, she whirled around and spotted Madeline, scribbling madly on some parchment. "Madeline!"

Madeline peered up fearfully. "Er…yes?"

Charlotte plopped down upon her bed and curled up with a magazine. "Be a dear and fetch me a book from the library. I need research for the Astronomy paper due Monday."

Madeline nodded obediently and began to gather her things to go.

"I'll help you," Lily piped up, snatching her own book bag.

Charlotte dropped her magazine. "What?"

"I'll go with Madeline," Lily smiled affably, pulling on a sweater over her thin shirt. "I was heading there anyway."

"Er…on second thought," Charlotte sat up and flicked her curls primly. "I think I'd rather you just stay here. And help me write an outline for it."

Madeline obediently set down her things and went back to writing, but kept a curious eye on Lily.

"Well then, I'll just stay here and help you!" Lily plopped down beside Madeline.

A bit flustered, Charlotte leapt out of her bed and snatched Madeline's arm, dragging her away from Lily. "I changed my mind. I want you to get me a pumpkin pastie. Low fat. From the kitchens."

"Excellent!" Lily cried. "I'm starving! I'll just get my cloak, shall I-"

"I _thought_ you had to get to the library?" Charlotte hissed, running out of patience. Madeline hung helplessly from Charlotte's grasp, and there was something of fear mingled with awe in her expression.

"Well, it's not that important, I could-"

"She doesn't need your help!" Charlotte finally burst. "Right, Madeline?"

Madeline hesitated, eyes darting between Lily's smiling face, and Charlotte's snarling one.

"_Tell_ her, Madeline." Charlotte shook her arm slightly.

Madeline's head sunk down to her chest and she mumbled, "I…I don't need help. Thanks anyway, Lily."

Lily's smile faltered, and her insides twisted in anger. Why did Charlotte have such a powerful hold on the girl anyway? "Oh, well…all right. But if you need anything," she added brightly, "don't hesitate to ask!"

"She won't," Charlotte snapped.

Despite Lily's burst of adrenaline from standing up to Charlotte, she figured it was best to leave now, lest she get Madeline into more trouble than she probably already had. Upon the door's latch clicking shut, she heard the hissing and scolding of Charlotte from within.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Strangely, it had been about three days since the incident with James, and Lily had not seen him once. He had not even come to class. In fact, she was even beginning to worry.

However, she had also become somewhat of a legend around school. She was the first prefect ever to have captured James Potter. This way, he was able to serve out every single detention he owed the prefects. So naturally, all of them loved her, but the majority of the student body considered her insane, because, as Remus had pointed out in secret, it was only a matter of time before James figured a way out and lashed back. She knew she should be concerned, and she was!

But only a little.

Lily trotted down the corridor and popped jauntily into Charms class where she found a seat conveniently next to Remus.

She grinned at him, but he only smiled hesitantly back, as if she were a bit crazy.

But she paid no mind, and instead turned her attention to the front of class where Professor Flitwick was pacing. Ah, excellent, no James once again. The grin remained steady on her face.

At least, for a moment it did. Lily's brow furrowed slightly as she noticed the pacing Flitwick wringing his little hands. Frowning quite visibly, he climbed atop his pile of books.

"Right…right…" he said, fidgeting beneath his oversized cloak. "Right. Good morning, class- oh I really hate this!" he groaned suddenly, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Blast it…Class, something quite unfortunate has happened that was recently brought to my attention."

A soft chorus of muttering flooded the room. Lily blanched and looked at Remus who as well looked taken aback and fearful. Had something…could it be? Did something happen to James? Suddenly his lack of attendance was not so pleasing. Lily's palms began to sweat with anticipation and her stomach was twisting into knots. Please let James be all right, she felt herself thinking urgently, _please_…

Remus had scooted to the edge of his desk along with the other students, now tortured by Flitwick's dramatic pause.

"It seems," he took a wavering breath, "that something very important to this school, to _me_, has gone missing…"

Oh Merlin. Lily clutched the stitch of her chest. James had gone missing! He really _was_ important to the school; he brought life and excitement, didn't he? And he was a star Quidditch player! Though…she never knew _Flitwick_ thought so highly of him…

Flitwick sniffled. "…his worn appearance, his depth of knowledge, his sturdy binding…"

Sturdy binding?

Remus raised an eyebrow and the rest of the class sunk back into their seats. What on earth was he talking about?

"Unfortunately, I have narrowed down my search of the culprit to this class," Flitwick said determinedly and with a touch of drama. "Someone in _this_ _classroom_ has stolen my beloved heirloom, my favorite possession, my first edition of _Crime and Punishment: An Advanced Theory of Charms in Law Enforcement_."

Lily blushed furiously, then quickly hid her face in case anyone noticed. Damn.

The class began to chuckle softly.

"He's off his bloody rocker," she heard Charlotte mutter to her friends.

"Now, now!" he squeaked. "This is _no_ laughing matter! I do not wish to punish the culprit, but if they would simply step forward honestly…I would really, _really_ like my book back."

Ouch. Lily clutched her chest. He was tugging on her heartstrings…or perhaps her guilt. Double damn.

"Who would steal a bloody book?" Sirius muttered to Peter.

Ashamedly, she peered over at Remus who was staring straight ahead with mild concern. She couldn't…she just couldn't stand up here. Not now, with Remus watching! No…but she must return it. Yes…she could…she'd sneak into the library and place it in Madame Pince's office as if nothing ever happened! Ha-HA! What a brilliant scheme.

But somehow, she didn't feel too brilliant as she sat through the rest of the lecture, watching the normally bouncy Flitwick moping dejectedly about and nervously knocking over stacks of parchment and books while her classmates snickered derisively.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Two more days and still no sign of James. Indeed, it had been a full week in which no one seemed to know where he went. Some claimed they'd seen him on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, while some even fuelled rumours that he'd shrivelled up and died in the cage in Filch's office, warranting the occasional foul glare at Lily.

And though Lily knew he was serving out detentions, it didn't explain his absences from class. Hogwarts' star Chaser appeared to have completely vanished. However, Lily had a feeling the Marauders weren't telling her something. Remus wouldn't look her in the eye, Sirius just shrugged nonchalantly when asked, and Peter cowered and made up some lame excuse before scurrying off round a corner.

So when Hogsmeade weekend arrived and James still had not, Lily had, needless to say, a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was definitely up. But as far as she was concerned, James wasn't allowed to step foot in Hogsmeade until his punishment was up, even if it killed her. So she vowed to stay on the lookout.

"All aboard!" the conductor bellowed as steam began billowing and whistling from beneath the wheels of the engine.

Lily gazed out the window of her compartment, feeling a rush of déjà vu. Once again, she was stuck in the only compartment left, with Kenneth Kaufman drooling over chocolate frogs by her side. She sighed and reached inside her pack to pull out _Detoxify, De-Stress_, etc., but her hand fumbled over _Crime and Punishment_, causing it to slip sideways out onto the floor.

Lily's insides froze, an obvious look of anguish now plastered on her face as she gawked at the book lying quite blatantly on the ground before Kenneth.

His mouth fell agape, bits of chocolate dusting his chin. "Lily…"

She couldn't speak. Kenneth had seen! No! He'd turn her in and she'd be humiliated in front of everyone on the train! Sure, Flitwick said he would refrain from punishment…but if he found out it was a prefect who took it, who knew? A prefect who'd _stolen_ it! She'd lose all the respect of the students- that is, if she didn't lose her place as prefect first.

"Well…" Kenneth continued gaping at her. "You don't expect me to pick that up for you?"

Lily frowned. "What?"

Kenneth swallowed and huffed. "I _said_ I'm not picking that up. Got me a bad back."

"A bad…" Lily trailed off, her insides unwinding…How oblivious can you be?

Thank Merlin for that, Lily sighed, leaning over quickly to pick it up before-

SHHHOOK! The compartment door flew open.

"Madeline? Madeline- oh. It's _you_." Charlotte Vain cringed at the sight of Lily. Florence and Helen filed in obediently and lined up behind her. "Where is she?"

For a moment, Lily forgot about the book, her attention focused primarily on what Charlotte had just said. "What about her?"

Charlotte scoffed. "You obviously know nothing. Come on, girls." She spun around and waved Helen and Florence on.

"Wait!" Lily stood up, flushing. "What do you mean? You can't find her? Where did she go?"

"Well, if I knew _that_ I wouldn't be here, would I?" Charlotte grimaced. The girls giggled in response and began filing out.

"She probably offed herself when you weren't looking. It's a worse fate taking orders from you," Lily mumbled under her breath.

Kenneth nearly spit out his food in his sudden burst of laughter. Oops. Lily hadn't meant to say that so loudly.

Charlotte whirled around and stomped over to her-

Crunch!

Charlotte hesitated and looked down.

Lily blanched.

Charlotte cautiously lifted her foot to reveal _Crime and Punishment _lying blatantly in the open With wonder, she leaned down and picked it up, delicately dusting off the cover.

Lily was too paralysed with fear to move.

"What…" And suddenly, with the wave of realization, a broad grin spread over Charlotte's fair features. "Why…isn't this the beloved tome dear Professor Flitwick has been desperately searching for?"

Lily could feel her insides once again tighten into hefty knots. She was done for now. "Charlotte, please, it's not what you-"

But Charlotte wasn't listening. She whirled around and shoved it in Kenneth's face. "Did you take this from Flitwick?"

"Erm…" Kenneth frowned. "I don't recall-"

"Well," Charlotte leaned back with her arms folded and the book dangling delicately from her fingers. "I'll be. I never thought _you_ had it in you. Wouldn't Flitwick be pleased to know you had it?" The snake-like flicker had returned to her eyes.

Lily watched Kenneth staring dumbly at Charlotte. This was her way out. She'd just let Charlotte blame Kenneth and…Oh, she couldn't! No matter how obnoxious or oblivious he was, he was still her friend. And she could never really do that to anyone. She had to fess up, even if it would give Charlotte an early Christmas.

"Charlotte, you've got it wrong," Lily said firmly. "It was-"

"So obviously I wouldn't tell him!" Charlotte continued, oblivious, "I mean, what a brilliant move! I can't stand that little midget!"

Both Lily and Kenneth gaped.

"Well," Charlotte flung the text back down on top of Lily's overflowing bag. "I guess you're cooler than I'd thought."

With that, the three of them marched out. Just as the door was sliding shut, Charlotte poked her head back in, shooting Lily a fowl glare. "If you're hiding Madeline, I'll have your arse."

Bam!

Lily flopped back down onto the seat with eternal relief. That was too bloody close. She _had_ to get that book back into the library tonight after Hogsmeade and that was the end of it. The only question was…_how_?

Kenneth licked the chocolate from his lips and puffed up his chest. "Well then. Didja hear that, Lily? I'm _cool_."


	8. Sweet Revenge

**Chapter Eight: Sweet Revenge**

Reluctantly, beneath the shade of a shedding deciduous tree, Lily cracked her change purse. A few bits of lint fluttered out, carried by the soft breeze that also pulled a few strands free of her tight ponytail. Curtly, she smoothed the hairs back into place and emptied the contents of the wallet into her open palm.

One…two…three sickles and four knuts. Well then. It appeared she'd be sitting this shopping trip out.

"Coming, Lily?" Kenneth had paused in the doorway of Honeydukes, his feet dancing on the steps in eagerness to enter.

"Er…" she glanced around uncomfortably. "I think I'll head over to…um…the Three Broomsticks."

He shrugged and did not hesitate to ask questions. The sugar quills were calling to him. Lily wasn't exactly crying to be rid of Kenneth. Granted, he was her friend, but they had never been particularly…close, to say the least.

Brushing her cloak back, she strode down the street, perusing the shop windows. She was just going past the robe shop when something made her jerk to a halt. There, glittering in the window, was a gorgeous set of deep blue robes, trimmed delicately with silver lace and embroidered with shimmering thread and iridescent beads. The sheer sight of them sent chills up her spine. They were so beautiful…Something was churning in the depths of her stomach. She'd never really cared about frilly, frivolous things before. Yet she was beginning to see what some of the fuss was about, why Charlotte and her friends spent so much time meticulously planning their evenings, and why every girl wanted to go with a handsome boy so that she would feel that much more beautiful.

She frowned suddenly. She may not have had any money, but that didn't mean she couldn't act like it. Puffing up her chest a bit, she flung open the shop door.

Her ego quickly shrank once she'd stepped over the threshold, her breath catching in her throat. The walls were lined with incredible robes of all styles and colours. Each was intricately embroidered, by hand no doubt, and gleamed in the warm light of the elaborate little shop. Clearly this was a more upscale portion of Hogsmeade. She wondered if it had always been there, or if she'd merely tried to block it from her vision to save herself disappointment.

And looking around at the finely dressed and polished shoppers, she wished she _had_ ignored it once more. She watched a very pretty blonde girl pick up a set of peacock feather robes and add it to her hovering pile. Lily felt her cheeks flush involuntarily as she peered down at her own fraying robes.

"Can I help you?"

Lily's eyes flickered up, landing on a young witch in a set of trendy purple robes with gemstone trim. She raised a neatly shaped eyebrow and tilted her head. "Are you lost?"

"Um…" Lily could feel the blush deepening in colour. "Er…yes. I mean no. What I mean is… I'm looking for…a new set of dress robes."

The witch eyed her sceptically for a moment. With a new sense of pride, Lily stared her down defiantly, imagining _she_ was the blonde girl casually carrying around a mound of beautiful new gowns.

The witch tapped her chin with a lacquered nail and nodded resolutely. "Well, I think I have just the thing."

With a flick of her wand, a measuring tape unravelled in thin air and began dancing around Lily's body. "Hmm…" she muttered, a hand thoughtfully at her chin. "Right…right…Excellent. You have perfect proportions, you know. Merlin I'm jealous!" she tittered gleefully. "Okay, you just wait in that dressing room and I'll bring you the perfect gown!"

"Oh…all-all right." Lily stumbled through the racks and sat herself inside a small room with mirrors on all sides. In the centre of the floor was a raised platform. She dropped into a green velvet armchair and waited, twiddling her fingers in anticipation.

Great. Just great, Lily. And how exactly did she plan on paying for these new dressing gowns? _She_ _had no money_. And she was quite positive this store did not take I-owe-you's.

There was a soft pop outside the dressing room door and then a faint knock.

"Erm, come in?"

The door burst open. "Here we are!"

Immediately, Lily blanched. The young witch was carrying a stack of robes in hot pink, brown, powder blue, and various other colour combinations with an assortment of trims ranging from sequins to goose feathers.

"Er…eh heh heh." Lily smiled dumbly at the pile, which the witch set atop a velvet armchair. With a flick of her wand, she sent the gowns dancing around Lily in a whirlwind.

"So!" she exclaimed delightedly. "Which would you like to try first?"

"I, um, well, I-" Lily was desperately thinking of an excuse to escape when her eye caught a set of blue robes spinning past her face. "Wait stop. That one!"

The robes jerked to a stop, suspended in midair. Lily stepped down off the raised platform and stopped before the gorgeous set of blue robes- the very same she had been admiring in the window. "These…" she breathed.

Slowly, the witch smirked and tapped her chin. "Well, I was going to suggest the Fandango Pink set, but…well, yes. Those may just do fine…" She strode over to them and waved her wand. "Now hold still, I'll get them on you in a jiffy."

Lily shut her eyes tightly as she felt her own shabby robes fall to the floor with a flick of a wand and then the coolness of the softest fabric she'd ever known sliding over her skin. Oh, they felt so nice…

"There."

Lily opened her eyes. Wow. Wow. Was that…was that _her_?

"Hmm…" she tapped her chin. "Well, the pink was definitely more your colour, but goodness…these aren't too bad…"

Not too bad indeed, Lily thought in awe, gazing at the reflection of someone she didn't know, or at least, had only dreamed about.

"So you like them, then?"

"I…I…" Lily sighed wistfully and spun around. "I do! I adore them!"

"Excellent!" the saleswitch burst, her jewelled sleeves bouncing as she spun around. "I'll just go ring it up for you, then shall I?"

"What?" Lily's jaw dropped. "No, wait, I-"

But she had already apparated from the room.

Oh. Damn. Lily scrambled out of her robes. She had to catch her! She couldn't pay for these! She had just barely pulled on her own shabby robes and burst out the door when she nearly ran smack dab into the back of a curly blonde head. She stopped dead in her tracks, clutching the blue gown tightly to her frozen heart.

"…so then I said, 'Well _obviously_ I want them in periwinkle blue and white. They are my _colours_ after all!'" Charlotte Vane waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, nearly smacking Lily in the face. Her back, thankfully, was turned at just the right angle so that Lily remained out of her visibility. Lily ducked behind a rack marked "30 off" assuming that Charlotte would never look there.

Lily's brain was buzzing. She couldn't let Charlotte see her here. She'd never escape the shop! It was bad enough having to avoid that saleswitch who, incidentally, kept scanning the shop with hawk eyes waiting for Lily to emerge.

Lily watched Charlotte's polished shoes stride by on the other side of the rack. Two more pairs followed, presumably her posse of Helen and Florence.

"… I mean, talk about a pathetic excuse for a personal shopper. I told Daddy, I said, 'Daddy, I am going to do my own shopping from now on.' And he said, 'Darling, I will get you a new shopper immediately.'" Charlotte giggled during this interlude, then continued. "You see? He just hates the thought of me having to do anything myself. He _can_ be sweet sometimes. If you know what buttons to push." She flicked her curls. Well, Lily couldn't really _see_ if she flicked her curls, but it was just a very Charlotte thing to do.

"What on earth-?" A voice came from behind. "Whatever are you doing down there?"

Lily froze. Blast. She looked over her shoulder to find the saleswitch watching her with a mix of amazement and disbelief. "I…er…dropped my purse."

Her disbelief turned to genuine worry. "Oh dear. Let me help you look. _Accio purse_!"

Nothing. Lily blushed furiously.

"That's odd," the witch tapped her chin with her wand.

"Ah, well," Lily stood up slowly, still keeping an eye out for Charlotte who was now thankfully halfway across the store. "I must have lost it somewhere else. I'll just go look for it and come back, shall I?"

Fear darted across the saleswitch's face at the thought of losing a sale. "No, no, nonsense! Here, I'm sure we can work something out. Come with me."

"No, really, I should get going-" Lily began, but the witch was dragging her by the arm and before she knew it, she was at the register.

Lily's stomach flopped.

"Now…" the witch began scribbling something with her quill. "Do you have wizard credit?"

"Erm…" Lily wasn't particularly paying attention. She was busy keeping an eye out for Charlotte, but she seemed to have disappeared for the moment. "I don't know…"

"Really? Well, I'm sure we could set you up with an account here! What's your mother's maiden name?"

"An account?" Lily turned back to the saleswitch. "What for?"

"Well to purchase your new dress robes, of course! It's a simple payback plan with minimal interest."

"Oh well…" Lily flushed slightly. "I don't think I'd really be eligible…"

"Oh, nonsense!" she waved her hand dismissively. "There's always collateral."

"Collateral?"

"Yes. If you are unable to make payments, we usually take items to, you know, cover the cost."

"Oh. Well," Lily frowned, "what sort of items?"

She licked the tip of her quill and began scribbling something else on the parchment. "Oh, you know, limbs."

Lily blanched. "I-I'm sorry, limbs?"

"Yes," the witch nodded brightly. "Ears, toes, the occasional arm. We did take a right buttock once, but it was a particularly bad customer we were dealing with-"

Lily's eyes were the size of dinner plates. She liked her limbs! She didn't want to trade them for a missed payment on a lousy set of robes! Bloody hell! Just as Lily began to panic, the ominous bouncing curls of Charlotte appeared in her peripheral vision. Charlotte turned and headed toward the counter, a giant pile of robes hovering behind her. Blast. How was Lily going to get out of this one?

"There! All done. Your new wizard credit account is set up."

"What?" Lily whirled around. "No, I-" Charlotte was getting closer. Lily tried to hide her face behind a spinning display of non-fat chocolate frogs. "Look, I really shouldn't have an account-"

"But…" the witch's face dropped. "I already set one up…"

Lily was desperately glancing back at Charlotte. If she saw Lily, she'd never let her leave the shop without exploiting the fact that Lily didn't belong there and had no means to pay.

"Um, I really should-!"

"But what if I just-" the saleswitch began, but it was too late. Charlotte was only a few paces away, her head turning threateningly in Lily's direction.

"Ack!" Lily threw the blue dress robes over her face and made a dive for the door. She knocked into Charlotte, sending her hovering stack of robes flying. Several glittering pink and baby blue ones stuck to Lily's arms and head as she stumbled desperately across the threshold. She was almost home free, when- WHAM!

Lily could see stars. She blinked, realizing it was just a set of glittering pink robes blocking her vision. Slowly she peeled back the gown from her head and dropped her jaw.

Another girl, the blonde one with the pile of robes, was also on the ground beside her, in a bit of a daze. All of her beautiful gowns had been scattered across the cobblestone street, muddied and torn, some drenched and soiled in puddles. This fact finally seemed to dawn upon the girl and she glared incredulously at Lily who flushed with unparalleled humiliation.

The Saleswitch stood at the threshold of the shop, tapping her foot impatiently. Lily, who was attempting to avoid eye contact, very clearly spotted Charlotte giggling uncontrollably amongst the onlookers.

The saleswitch pursed her lips and held up the tattered remains of a yellow gown pinched between her thumb and middle finger. "I'll just add these to your tab, shall I?"

Lily blanched at the twenty some odd ruined dress robes, and shrank abashedly away from the blonde girl's seething glare.

---

Dejectedly, Lily licked a cut on the palm of her left hand and drug herself away from the crowds to a secluded bench amongst a few evergreen trees overlooking the Shrieking Shack. Now that she was officially in debt- oh Merlin was she in debt- Lily had to start thinking about what it was going to take to _repay_ that debt. And still lingering in the back of her mind was how was she going to sneak that ancient copy of _Crime and Punishment: __An Advanced Theory of Charms in Law Enforcement _back into the library without getting caught?

Lily's brain was swirling with the disasterous events of the past few weeks when she felt a presence beside her.

"Something wrong?"

Lily looked up. Remus was now lounging, cross-legged beside her. She flushed and shook her head. "No! No, I'm fine. Just...avoiding the crowds."

Remus nodded. "That's understandable. I'm not much for large crowds either."

She began fiddling with the muddy hem of her cloak. Oh, her cloak! It was filthy! She looked like she'd been rolling in the mud. Blushing furiously again, she tried to scrape some of it off, but to no avail.

Remus smiled, enjoying the spectacle, which just made Lily flush even deeper. She froze suddenly when Remus reached out and gently grasped her wrist, pulling her closer. Her red cheeks quickly became white with fear as Remus leaned toward her. What...what was he doing? Was he-?

She shut her eyes and pursed her lips, and waited. And waited. She opened an eye and glanced down. Remus had tapped the sleeve of her cloak and muttered "_Scourgify!" _Immediately, the mud dissipated and her cloak returned to its original faded black colour. And like the cloak, her original red blush had returned, rather quickly. Lily muttered a soft 'thank you' and tried to focus her attention on the peeling bark of the pine to her left. Was it her, or was Remus snickering at her? But when she turned back to catch a glimpse of his face, he appeared as stolid as ever.

"It's beautiful out here, isn't it?" He said suddenly. "Many people don't realize it."

"Right..." Lily mumbled. "Except for the Shreiking Shack..."

Remus smiled. "True. Very true...Lily, do you remember the first day at Hogwarts?"

"Er...I suppose, sure." She brushed a few stray hairs from her face and tilted her head. "I was like a scared little kitten."

Remus laughed. "So was I. I couldn't imagine being as comfortable here as I am now."

"Yes...I suppose that's true..." Lily sighed. Not that she was having a particularly good year or anything...

"I also remember the first time I met you."

Lily's ears pricked. "W-what do you mean?"

"Well...I mean that..." Remus turned to her quite fiercely. "Lily...I thought you were so pretty...and now, when I look at you...I just..."

Lily froze. Remus was proclaiming his love for her? "Remus...I..."

"I want to be with you."

Lily couldn't believe her ears. Before she could stop herself, the words tumbled out. "Remus, I want to be with you too. I want you, Remus. I think I love you, Remus." Then, just like that, she leaned in and kissed him. His were soft...but they began to curl into a smile.

Lily pulled away, and it wasn't Remus staring back at her:

It was James.

Lily shrieked and leapt off the bench and nearly tripped on a dead branch. "You!"

James was rolling with laughter, the last few strands of Remus' sandy hair fading quickly into James' famous messy black locks. "That was priceless."

Lily's insides were streched so tight with anger she thought they might snap. "You're sick!"

"Oh, Remus, I want you. I think I _love_ you!" He bleated mockingly, practically rolling on his back with laughter. Yet...his wasn't the only voice laughing.

Lily ran. She ran down the path until she reached the main street. Blaring from some unknown source was Lily's own voice, repeating those awful words again and again.

"...I WANT YOU, REMUS. I THINK I LOVE YOU, REMUS. REMUS, I WANT TO BE WITH YOU TOO. I WANT YOU, REMUS. I THINK I LOVE YOU, REMUS. REMUS, I WANT..."

The entire town was stopping in their tracks, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from, and all the eyes of Lily's classmates landed on her. Everyone was laughing, especially Charlotte and her friends who seemed to think this was the best thing that could possibly ever happen. Charlotte began mimicing the words and dancing around, as did many of the other students. And there, standing beside Sirius, who was, of course, laughing his arse off as well, was Remus, flushing scarlet. Lily caught his eye, and he simply turned away.

She thought she might cry. Biting back those tears, she turned on her heel and ran back into the trees. Hadn't she been humiliated enough for one day? Enough for her whole life? Why did James have to be so nasty!

The dark was settling upon the town, and it was only a matter of minutes before they had to be back on the train. But Lily couldn't bring herself to emerge from the forest. She was beaten down and tired. She hated not having any friends, she hated being smart, she hated having James around, and she hated being her! What was it about her she needed to change in order to be liked? Was it that she was a prefect? But no prefect from the other houses had any problems. The students respected them. But not Lily. No one seemed to respect her.

And why should they? Just look at her...she was, all in all, rather pathetic.

Lily simply sighed, then stood up. Enough wallowing, she had to get back to the train. She couldn't let it get to her so much. She just had to suck it up and finish out these last two years and she was gone, off to some dream job working for the Ministry in Australia or some such like that. She smiled to herself. It made her feel better knowing she had some place to go after this school, that she had the skills to get hired unlike many of the sorry wannabe's of her class. Ha. She'd show them. Especially James. That stupid, selfish-

Wait a minute...James...how had he gotten to Hogsmeade! He was supposed to be in detention and was prohibitted from trips like this! That conniving little...Lily growled to herself. But how had he done it?

She was just passing Honeydukes when she saw a few student stragglers being rounded up by the prefects. There was Remus, shaking his head, and apparently talking to himself. Great. Fantastic. Now she had driven him insane with the thought of him _actually_ being in love with her. He probably thought she was stalking him. He glanced furtively around and hung back as the students scurried off, trying not to drop all their sweets.

Lily paused in her tracks and took a step back into the shadows. She really prefered _not_ to have an awkward run-in with the boy she just proclaimed her undying love for.

But Remus was acting really odd. Shifting around, and...well...quite animatedly talking to himself.

Lily gasped. James' head had just emerged out of thin air. He was laughing. Then the rest of his body appeared. Tossed over his right arm was a silvery sheet of fabric, sliding around in his grasp. Could it be?

Remus motioned to something and then shook his head and stomped off toward the train. James shook his head nonchalantly, then threw on the silvery fabric and disappeared into thin air.

Ah...so it was. Lily felt a smirk creeping across her features.

James Potter had an Invisibility Cloak.


	9. This is War

**Chapter Nine: This is War**

The day had come to a dreary close. The minute the train had pulled into the station, rain began pouring down on the castle.

James found himself safely on his warm bed, staring dully at the ceiling while the rain beat mercilessly against the windowpane. Sirius was snoring loudly to his left, and Peter was crouched over his desk, examining his Zonko's and Honeyduke's purchases. Remus, however, was absorbed in some novel, situated on a chair in the corner.

James frowned and reached in his pocket for a piece of candy, which he threw at Remus playfully to get his attention. "Don't look so serious, mate! Your brain might implode or something."

Remus was not amused.

Peter glanced up, but only momentarily. The anger and resentment that lingered in the air was quite obvious. He awkwardly went back to checking the expiration on his Fizzing Whizbees, but kept an ear open.

The smile was frozen on James' face. What was Moony's problem? It was just a bloody joke for Merlin's sake! "Don't tell me your knickers are still in a twist about this afternoon, Moony." He kept his voice light and jovial.

Still, Remus' eyes were plastered intently to the words of his book. He flipped a page and nudged the reading glasses back upon his nose.

Now James was just getting irritated. He grumbled and slumped back against his pillow, trying to ignore the deafening silence. James despised silence.

"Oy." He leapt up and perched himself at the foot of Sirius' bed and nudged him sharply. "Padfoot. Oy. OY. Wake up."

Sirius muttered something, and stuck his foot right in James' face. Glowering, James shoved his leg off, forcing Sirius to tumble to the floor.

"Ow! Bloody hell, what the-?" Sirius awoke with a start and grasped the bedpost to pull himself up. His eyes landed accusingly on James. "What was that for?"

"You're asleep too early."

"So you hit me?" He rubbed his wound and curled back up. He glanced at the clock. "It's only eight! I can sleep at eight if I like!" With that, he pulled a blanket over him and collapsed back into bed.

The compartment faded back into silence.

The only sounds penetrating the room were the whistling of wind upon the glass and the monotonous smacking of Peter's Drooble's Best. He couldn't take this.

"Moony."

Silence.

"Moony."

Still silence.

"_Moony_."

Remus cleared his throat and flicked another page.

"Ignoring me now, are we?" James growled. "Real mature, Remus."

Remus snorted uncharacteristically. "Right, because what you did to Lily was."

"I knew it!" James leapt to his feet. "Why are you so hung up on it? It was a _prank_, Remus. Remember? Me, Prank King. Joke funny. Ha. Ha. Or did you miss a step back there?"

Remus sighed and snapped his book shut. "You can't go around treating everyone like they're beneath you."

"And what if they are? Huh? Maybe they deserve what they get."

"Lily didn't deserve what you did to her. Nor is she _beneath_ you. She's got more than you'll ever have."

"I _knew_ it!" James hissed, almost hysterical. Sirius was fully awake now and contemplating whether to intervene or not. "You _fancy_ her! Just like Sirius said."

Sirius raised his eyebrows and held out his hands defensively. "Hey, now...no need to drag Padfoot into this..."

"_Fancy_ her?" Remus stood up to face James. "No, but I respect her. And that's more than you can say for yourself."

"She's a stuck up goody goody! It was for her own good. It put her in her place."

Sirius frowned and eyed James' clenched fists, fearing that he may have to intervene if James decided to hit Remus...which he'd never done.

"I think it's you who need to be put in their place, James. If I recall correctly, you were the one pining after her for years until-"

"Come on!" It was Sirius who interrupted them. He too was now standing and edged in between them. He shoved James back into his bed and Remus followed. He spotted James' trembling fists. That boy had far too short of a temper for his own good. "Take a walk, James."

With that, James shook his head furiously and leapt back up, wrenching open the door and then slamming it behind him. He stormed out of the common room and began pacing up and down the corridors, not paying much attention to where he was at or was going.

His mind was clouded with anger and frustration, so when he slammed into the slender figure of a little girl, he hardly took notice. She peered up at him behind large, thick spectacles and simpered at his fierce glare. "Watch where you're going." He barked.

The girl flattened her mousy brown hair with a wavering hand and tried to stand up.

"Leave her alone!" Burst a voice from behind.

James turned. Oh, great.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size for once, Potter?" It was Lily, fuming. Her cheeks matched the vibrant auburn of her hair. "Are you alright, Madeline?" She pushed past James and helped the small girl up.

"I'm fine..." She mumbled, dusting off her robes.

James rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be crying in the loo or something?"

Lily ignored him and focused on Madeline. "Everyone's been looking for you. Especially Charlotte..."

"Yes, well...I've been, er...busy," she replied. James tapped his foot impatiently. Madeline shied away and picked up her book bag that had taken a spill with her. "I'm going to get back. She'll be furious, I'm sure."

Lily shook her head after Madeline as she scurried away down the halls. "What's wrong with you?" she turned accusingly back to James.

"Me?" He looked affronted.

"Yes, _you_," she growled. "Honestly, James. You have some nerve. Do you plan on tormenting every girl in this castle?"

"Don't get your knickers in a bunch, Evans," he brushed her off with a hand. "And don't act like the victim. You deserved what was coming to you."

"And what makes you think I even care about the nasty trick you pulled on me?"

James snorted. "_Remus_ seems to think you care."

"Well Remus can mind his own business. I can fight my own battles."

His eyes widened, bemused. "A _battle_ is it?"

"Isn't that what this is? A Prank War?" Lily took a fierce step toward him.

James laughed. "Please. I've hardly begun. If a war is what you want, love, your wish is my command."

Lily's emerald eyes lit up. She clasped her hands delightedly. "Excellent! You can start by surrendering your Invisibility Cloak."

James immediately blanched. "My...what...?"

---

How she'd figured it out, James didn't know, but Merlin was she a pain in the arse now that she did.

"Ow! Watch it. James!"

"Shut it. This was _your _idea. I don't even know what you're doing. And what's that lumpy thing under your cloak?"

"Mind your own business," Lily hissed, hugging _Crime and Punishment_ tighter to her body. If this plan was going to work, and she was going to keep the upper hand on James, she had to make sure he never saw what it was she was returning. "Now go faster. I don't want Filch catching us."

James shook his head. "Seeing Lily Evans break into the library. This is one of those things I never expected to witness before my death...and yet, it fits most appropriately."

"Shush!"

"Hey. I've done this before. I _think_ I know what I'm doi-"

SPLAT. James slammed face-first into the double doors of the library.

"Slick." Lily gently pried open one of the creaking doors and ushered James inside. This was quite invigorating! She wondered if this was the reason James was always getting into trouble. Some sort of rush, or high. She also wondered if he too got the same tingling sensation in his arms and light-headedness she was feeling.

"Are you alright?" James eyed her strangely.

"Me? Oh, I'm fine. Fine!" Her voice was a tad shrill. More so than she would have liked. And was it her or was it getting a bit warm?

"Are you hyperventilating?"

"Huh? Er...no...I...I'm...fine. Just...fine." Lily was scanning the empty library like a hawk. Just then, James ripped off the cloak and began wandering around. "James!" she squealed. She about killed herself tumbling over a chair grasping for his arm. "Are you insane? Someone will _see_ you!"

"Lily. There's no one here."

"Oh..." she grumbled. "Fine." She pulled off the cloak and laid it on the chair she'd tripped over.

James was examining a large, peeling old text.

"What are you looking at?" Lily grimaced. "You don't read-" She stopped dead. He was holding _Crime and Punishment_. How did he-? "James!" she shrieked, leaping over to him. "Give- that- back you pilfering little-!"

"A _book_? All this trouble for a bloody book?" He gaped at the text in awe, eyes lit with amusement.

"It's not just 'some book,' James," she spat. "It's Flitwick's. It's his prized possession and I took it. I never should have, but..." she took an exaggerated breath "I did."

James watched her silently a moment then burst into laughter.

She quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. "_Will-you-be-quiet­_?" She hissed.

He pried her hand off. "I can't believe it!" Tears of laughter were streaming down his face. He wiped them away and tried to calm himself. "All for a book. A real rebel, you are, Lily. Really. I'm proud."

"Shut-up-" she groaned breathlessly, jumping up and down in desperate attempts to reach it.

James smirked and held it above his head. "Well, well, well. Doesn't this seem familiar? Let's see...what did I do in this situation last time?"

"You gave it back." She hissed through gritted teeth.

"Did I?" he tapped his chin. "I don't recall..."

"Yes, well, GIVE IT!"

"Shhh..." He placed a finger dramatically to his lips. "Someone might hear you."

Lily grimaced. "Is that so? Well let's give them something to hear."

"Oh…" James' eyes lit up. "Well, Lils, how coquettish of you…AUUGH!" Lily had blasted James with a jetstream of fire from the tip of her wand directly at his face.

James ducked just quickly enough that only a few hairs were singed on his head. After a moment of frozen shock, he jolted upright. "Are you bloody crazy? You almost blew my head off?"

Lily smiled sweetly. "Oh. Did I now?"

James narrowed his eyes. "Right then. I was going to treat you kindly since you're only a girl…" he gingerly rolled up his sleeves. "But that was then and this is _now_!" In a flash, he whipped out his wand and shouted something inaudible to Lily, because she too was screaming something, her wand waving madly in James' direction.

Bam! Lily and James were both blown backwards. Lily felt her head hit a bookshelf hard with a crack. She felt a cold trickle coming over her lips, and touched the place under her nose. She pulled back her hand. Her nose was bleeding. But that quickly became the least of her problems, for she reached her hand up higher on her face and felt something distinctly like fur. Oh no….no!

"Potter!" She shrieked. "What have you done to my face?"

James was just dusting off his cloak. Apparently her spell had missed him. He shrugged and straightened the collar of his shirt. "Just a mild improvement, Lils."

"Mi-mild-" she trailed off grievously. She turned her head to catch a blurry glimpse of herself in the reflective metal siding on the bookshelf. She craned her neck desperately. Oh Merlin. That prick! Red fur was sprouting out all over her face and her ears were becoming steadily more pointy and large. She whipped around to face James. He was now rolling in silent fits of laughter.

"You-you-" she could barely spit out the words she was so furious. "YOU-_TRANSFIGURED_-ME?" She screamed this last part so loudly, it was a wonder Filch didn't come running.

James guffawed and spun around in a circle, bowing to an invisible audience, furiously proud of himself. "You look stunning as a fox! It suits your sly, twisted, snitch-like personality."

"Snitch?" She bellowed. "How dare you! I have a duty to this school," she puffed up her chest despite the fact she looked like a walking transfiguration explosion, "and you know it! Now put me right, Potter, or I'll have you expelled!"

"Oh please." James brushed away her threat. "Poor perfect Lily couldn't _bear_ to have one moment of fun."

"I have fun!" Lily scratched her hindquarters. When she realized what she was doing, she ripped her hand away. "I can be rebellious too," she said with what she hoped was a sultry voice, then blushed furiously when she realised she was absentmindedly stroking her whiskers.

"Ha!" he bounced nimbly up onto the overturned chair next to her and pulled her back by her puffy tail.

"Ow!"

"Stealing a book? Really, Lily. Fabulous work." He clapped loudly near her now-sensitive ear.

She sniffed suddenly. What was that smell…?

James laughed. "What are you doing?"

Lily's little black nose was in the air, sniffing wildly. "I smell something…and…do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" He glanced around the dark, empty library. "A mouse? Aw…are you hungry?"

She ignored him and followed her nose and ears. The faint crackling sound grew louder. It was coming from behind one of the bookcases. Curious as usual, James leapt down and tagged along behind her.

Suddenly the library was not so dark. A raging fire was crackling and spitting behind several bookshelves, spreading faster.

"Bloody hell!" James jumped back. "You caught the library on fire!"

"I-I-I did not!" Lily whimpered. Oh Merlin. She had. She was the one who used the fire charm that missed James. "What do we do?" She turned to James, frozen in panic; her nose no longer twitched and her fur was on end.

James frowned and grabbed her by the shoulder, wrenching her away from the now leaping flames. "We have to get out of here."

"Get out of here?" Lily cried. "We have to put it out!"

He glared at her as he dragged her along. "Do _you_ know any charms for that?" Lily was silent. "Exactly." He snatched up his Invisibility Cloak and shoved the protesting Lily out the door.

"We have to tell someone!" She cried.

He clapped a hand over her mouth and shoved her along. "No…we _don't._" He pulled the Invisibility Cloak over their heads and jetted down the hall.

Lily's furry head was spinning. What had she done? She blasted James with that spell…and he ducked and the flame must have…Oh Merlin…she _had _set the library on fire!

"Bloody hell…" she moaned.

James shushed her suddenly and flattened her against the wall. His nose was in her furry cheek.

"James, what on earth-"

"Shh!" he clapped a hand over her mouth. And she quickly saw why. Edith Baldric and Eric MacClean were making their Head Boy and Girl rounds. Eric was motioning animatedly with his hands, describing some sort of Quidditch move. Edith pulled a yawn and glanced at her watch.

"Eric, it's near eleven. I've an exam tomorrow. I haven't seen a single student out of bed."

Eric shrugged. "I suppose you're right. Alright then…let's go."

They turned and made their way back past Lily and James again. Lily was frozen stiff with fear. James kep rubbing his nose for some reason and let out a little snort.

Eric's hefty figure froze. "Wait."

"What, Eric?" Edith replied dully, glancing at her watch again.

James' eyes widened and met Lily's.

Eric crept back down the hallway a ways so that he was standing a mere two centimeters from them. "D'you smell that?" He sniffed the air around him, his ruddy cheeks glowing. When he turned, he nearly rammed his backside into James. James automatically flattened his body against Lily's. He was very warm, she noticed…

Lily's face went beet red. This was positively _inappropriate_ closeness, no matter what the situation.

"Smell what?" Edith yawned. "Honestly, Eric, I'm going to fall over here." She brushed the long dark strands out of her bloodshot eyes.

"Yes…alright." He moved away from them.

Just then James released a sneeze so loud, Lily swore her whole body shook. James clapped a hand over his mouth and exchanged looks of fear with Lily.

Eric and Edith blurted out in unison, "Bless you." They froze and looked at eachother. Then, shaking their heads, kept walking back to the dorms.

As soon as they were around the corner, James ripped off the Invisibility Cloak, gasping for air. His hazel eyes were red and puffy, and he kept sniffling. "Bloody allergies!"

"Well it serves you right for making me look like this!" Lily burst.

"Oh calm down. The hex is already wearing off." He blew his nose in his sleeve.

Lily cringed and dug around in her bag for a mirror. He was right. The fur was fading fast. She felt behind her. The tail had already disappeared. "That was too close a call, James."

"Lily, relax." James picked some red fur off his collar. "You've committed a great crime against the school today. I'm very proud of you."

"But it was an accident!" Her stomach lurched at the thought of making James Potter _proud_. She couldn't lower herself to _his _level. "We have to go back and put out that fire." She said resolutely.

"Are you kidding? The whole library's probably been wiped out by now- Lily! _Lily_!" But she wasn't listening to him. She was already running back towards it. There had to be some way to put it out. Lily went through all the _hydro_ charms she could think of…but none could be enough to quell the beastly flames she saw when she returned. Leaping wildly behind the glass doors of the Library, the fire crackled and smoke. There was no way she could put this out! All of the books, gone! What was she going to do?

A sharp pain was stabbing her chest and her lungs began to tighten. Heee-huuhhhh-heeee-hhhuuuuhhh…Deeeep breaths, Lily. Heee-huuuuhhh…Blast! There was nothing about burning down school property in _Detoxify, De-stress, and Don't Explode- Literally- for the Modern Witch_. In fact, very little in that book was helpful. She was going to have to have a word with Melinda about that…Lily was suddenly beginning to feel very dizzy…She could hear footsteps in the distance and some yelling. And before she knew it, James had thrown the Cloak over her and she was being dragged indelicately away from the fire.

She didn't remember much after that, just James ushering her toward the girls' staircase.

"Lily, everything will be fine," She heard James whisper, his eyes twinkling mischeivously, "as long as you don't get caught."

It was at that moment, as James disappeared up the stairs and she made her way slowly back to her room, that she had done something absolutely, insufferably, inconceivably horrible. She'd made the most terrible mistake a prefect could make. This was worth being expelled for.

And everything was now riding on the hope that James Potter _kept his mouth shut_.

Lily no longer had any real leverage. The tables had turned. The odds were now in his favour…


	10. Strings Attached

**Chapter Ten: Strings Attached**

Lily awoke the next morning to her alarm clock beating her in the face with a pillow.

"Augh! I get it! Enough!" She ripped the pillow away and snatched the buzzing alarm from midair, crunching its fluttering mechanical wings slightly. She squinted at the minute hand through blurry eyes. Was it really already eight? That meant she missed breakfast. She was just so exhausted…she had barely gotten a wink of sleep last night. She'd had the most horrid nightmare.

Lily collapsed back onto her pillow for a few more blissful seconds of silence, then grudgingly pulled back the bed hangings that she'd magically charmed to block out sound, and was immediately blasted with the cacophony of Charlotte, Helen, and Florence screeching and primping. Rather dully, she dragged herself out of bed, and shuffled to the bathroom, stumbling over discarded clothes and accessories.

"…what he meant by that. So I said, 'why don't you just _buy_ one?'" Charlotte's voice drifted through the crack of the door. There was a response of giggles.

"Ugh. My hair will _never_ have the curls yours does, Charlotte," Lily heard Helen pout. "What is that solution you use again?"

Knock knock. Lily stood outside of the door, freezing in her thin pyjamas. The stone floor was like ice, and sent sharp, painful chills up her back.

"_What_?" The door was wrenched halfway open. Charlotte stood there, one eye coated in shadow and half her head still in curlers. Florence and Helen looked affronted, arms crossed and cheeks blisteringly red from their daily exfoliation. "Well, well," Charlotte's tone changed suddenly when she saw Lily. "Look who's finally awake. How did you sleep? Well? Good dreams of sugar plums and Remus?" Helen and Florence eyed each other smirking.

Lily sighed. "I need the loo."

Charlotte frowned. "We're busy. Use the one in the hall."

"I'm in my pyjamas."

Charlotte glanced at the pink top and bottoms with little hearts on them. "Yes. I noticed. They are really lovely, Lily."

"They were a gift from my mum," she grumbled.

"So," Charlotte turned back to the mirror and continued powdering up the other eye, "you got in awfully late last night."

Lily blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you were out past curfew, that's what."

Lily blanched. "Well…I'm a prefect. I have duties, you know."

Charlotte simply nodded. "Uh huh. Who were you with?"

Florence laughed. "Please, like she would be with anyone!"

Lily ignored her comment. She was instead thinking about last night. Yes…now that she recalled…she _had_ come in late.

"Er…" Lily leaned casually against the doorjamb. "Do you remember exactly…_when_ I came back?"

Charlotte nearly dropped her _Enot's Under-Eye Un-puffer Serum_. She swung around to face Lily in disbelief. "Were you _drunk_?"

"What?" Lily choked. "No! _No_! Of course not! I-"

"You think you're so clever, sneaking about after hours, don't you? Using your prefect duties as an excuse?" Charlotte was grinning madly. "Well _I_ know what you were _really_ up to!"

Florence and Helen looked as if they might burst from anticipation. They were clutching their toothbrushes tightly to their chests.

"You were _getting pissed with James Potter_!"

Florence and Helen gasped audibly in stereo.

Lily stared at her blankly. "What on earth are talking about?"

"Don't think I'm stupid, Evans." Charlotte jabbed Lily in the chest with her eye shadow brush, sending pink sparkly dust out into the air. "I'm on to you. I saw you two come in last night. Drowning your sorrows about Remus with James, were you?"

Something clicked in the back of Lily's mind and her stomach did a somersault. "I was…was with James?" The nightmare…that horrible, horrible nightmare…was _real_? It couldn't be!

"I mean, you don't actually think he's _interested_ in you, do you?" She went on, waving the brush. "Because if you do, frankly, that's just sad."

Lily was suddenly lost in swirling thoughts while Charlotte prattled on. All the memories of the night before came flooding back to her. The book, James hexing her, the fire…

"I mean, honestly, Lily," Charlotte leaned in and whispered dramatically, "_Look at you!_"

"Right." Lily replied a bit dazedly. "Well I'd better wash up before I'm late to class."

"Oh." Charlotte blinked. "You haven't heard?"

Lily froze. "Heard what?"

Florence opened her mouth to blurt something out, but Helen silenced her with a piercing look. Charlotte smirked and pursed her full lips. "_Somebody_ burnt down the library, so the first two classes were cancelled this morning while the teachers sort things out."

Lily's eyes got huge. Bloody hell. She was in for it now. "Er…have they…figured out who the culprit is?"

Charlotte went back to her primping, talking to Lily's reflection. "No. But McGonagall does have Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, and Sirius Black in her office."

"Oh. I see…" Lily's stomach did a somersault. If James opened his big fat mouth, she'd be dead. "So…they did it then?"

"Well, James didn't, did he?" Charlotte smirked. "I mean, you're his alibi, aren't you?"

Lily cleared her throat nervously. "Erm…yes. Of course. That's…right."

"But Lily," Charlotte turned her thickly lashed eyes on Lily's blushing reflection. "Don't get any ideas. James is mine."

Lily was too wound up and nervous to play along with Charlotte's little game. She turned on her heel and walked out. "You can have him. I'm going to the loo."

Madeline, who had been sitting cross-legged atop her bed, stared wide-eyed with interest at Lily as she dashed out of the dorm. "The library burnt down?" she asked Charlotte timidly.

"Yes, Madeline. Are you deaf?" she rolled her eyes and giggles from Helen and Florence ensued.

Madeline bit her cheek and stared pensively at the door Lily had just stormed out of.

---

Lily grumbled to herself, peering warily around the corners as she crept out of the hallway bathroom and back toward the Gryffindor common room. She could see the fat lady painting her nails in the distance when she rammed into something- or rather someone- solid, and landed flat on her bum.

She blinked up at the weathered figure of Remus Lupin.

Lily immediately blushed. "I'm so sorry!"

Remus gave her his hand and pulled her easily to her feet. "That's quite alright, Lily." He shifted awkwardly and adjusted the books he had tucked under his arm. There was a steady blush creeping across his cheeks.

Lily's eyes travelled down to her attire. Damn it all. She was still wearing her hot pink heart pyjamas. She turned her attention casually back to Remus, trying not to think about this, or the fact that she'd inadvertently confessed her undying love for him just yesterday. "Right…so… I suppose you've heard about James and Sirius."

Remus nodded and sighed. "Yes, well…it's to be expected."

"Yes. I suppose so." She glanced around the corridors. She had to fight the urge to twiddle her thumbs.

Remus cleared his throat and glanced at his wristwatch.

"I'd…better be going. I'll see you then, Lily."

"Yes. I'll…see you…" she trailed off weakly as he disappeared around the corridor.

Augh! Were things ever going to get better? Lily's eyes dropped down to the little hearts dancing across her shirt. It was going to be another one of those years. Sullenly, she pulled her cloak tightly around her to shut out the cold that was trapped in the halls by the heavy stone and wandered back to the portrait.

The Fat Lady peered down at her, a glass of champagne in one hand and a nail polish brush, dripping wet with pink lacquer, in the other. "Why so down, dear? Haven't you heard? Classes are cancelled because-"

"I know, I know." Lily snapped. "The library was burned down by some hooligans."

The Fat Lady frowned. "Isn't it a little _late_ in the morning to be so snippety?"

"Isn't it a little _early_ for a drink?" Lily retorted.

The Fat Lady whipped the glass behind her back, some of the bubbly liquid sloshing about, and glared. "Password?"

"Marmalade," Lily grumbled and climbed inside.

Almost immediately she was accosted. She felt a lecherous hand slither over her shoulder.

"Morning, love," Sirius Black's smooth voice was in her ear.

"Get off me, Black," she began, but halted when it occurred to her that he was supposed to be in McGonagall's office with James and Peter.

Lily took a quick step backward and glanced around the common room. There was no one else around. All the students were taking the opportunity to nose around the corridors near the library or sleep in. James was nowhere to be found. "I thought you were in trouble?"

Sirius laughed. "Me? Trouble? Surely you doubt my charm." He flung his arm around her again and pulled her tightly into his chest. "So…d'you and Jamesie have a good time last night?"

'I beg your par-" but she quickly swallowed her words. What if he knew? What if James had said something? "Er…I mean…perhaps. Who told you?"

"A little birdie." He ran a hand through his hair, the signature sexy move that made all the girls drop at his feet. For moment, even Lily wavered, and she felt her own eyes travelling over his body. She quickly shook the thought from her mind when he opened his mouth. "Now, now, Lils," he shook his finger at her, grey eyes glittering mischievously, "just because you had a little romp with James doesn't mean you can't have a more entertaining romp with Sirius."

"Ugh! Get off me!" She shoved him hard and pulled out her wand defensively.

Sirius' eyes widened, most likely recalling what she did to James when he pissed her off. "Er…heh heh! Okay, let's just calm down, Lily…"

"NO! I want answers. Who burned down the library?" She cried.

"Lily, Merlin! I don't know! Calm down, love!"

"Don't call me 'love!'" A few sparks jetted out the tip of her wand, one singing the hem of Sirius' cloak. "All right! All right! I know you're just trying to fulfil your prefect duties or whatever, but really, Lily, I can't help you."

"Really?" Lily's stomach was calming down. "You mean…you have…_no_ idea who did it?"

"Not a clue." His hands were in the air.

Lily stood pensively for a moment, wand still aimed for Sirius' face. Then maybe she was still safe…Ugh! How could she be thinking like this? She was a prefect, for heaven's sake! She should be turning _herself_ in! But if she got kicked out of Hogwarts, she'd have no future and…and…what would her parents say? Oh, they would hate her! Petunia might be thrilled, but that wasn't the point…

"Erm…Lily?" Sirius broke her train of thought. "Could you, um, maybe, point your wand in another direction?"

"Huh? Oh." Lily put it away absentmindedly. Sirius began slinking away. "Not so fast, Black!"

Sirius stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Yes?"

"Why did McGonagall let you all go?"

Sirius looked blank. "She didn't."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "She let Pete and I go, but she's still talking to James."

Lily's chest seized up. "R-really?"

"Yup. So…" Sirius smirked casually and abruptly changed the topic. "Have you considered my offer?"

Lily wasn't really paying attention to him. "Er…"

"You…me…the Yule Ball. A night you'll never forget!" Sirius grinned and headed for the boy's dormitories. "Keep thinking about it. I'll be here."

Sirius disappeared up the staircase, while Lily stood alone in the common room, her insides winding up into tight knots. What was that chapter in _Detoxify, Destress, etc_? Something about deep breathes while standing on your head? Or eating a lemon? Augh! She couldn't eeeee-huuuhhhh eeee-hhuuuuuhhh….remember! Eeee-huuuhhh eeeeeee-huuuhhhh…

Bloody hell!

---

"You know, I really hate this time of year," Sirius grumbled, pulling his cloak tighter around him as a flurry of golden leaves whipped past his face.

Remus smirked and flicked his wand, forming an invisible windshield in front of he and Sirius. His jet-black locks instantly settled and his face relaxed.

"Thanks, Moony." The leaves and air seemed to hit an invisible wall just before his face, then slip around him as if the wind decided to carry them in a different direction.

Soon they had reached the safety of the indoor corridors and made their way to Potions. "I just worry about Quidditch if this weather keeps up." Sirius added dully.

"Oh, I'm sure you can handle it," Remus said, holding open the door to the dungeons. "You're a big boy."

Sirius snarled, and found a seat near the back where he plopped down disaffectedly. Remus took a chair next to him, but pulled out his notes and quill, casually looking around the room.

"Where's James? He's not still with McGonagall is he?"

Sirius shrugged. "He said he had something to take care of. I don't think he's coming."

Remus frowned. "Take care of? I know what that means. Whatever the mess is, I'll have to clean it up."

"Calm down," Sirius began sucking on the tip of his sugar quill. Suddenly, his face brightened and he nudged Remus hard in the side. "Oy…here comes your girlfriend."

"Girlfrie-" Remus followed Sirius' grinning eyes and spotted Lily. "Lily Evans? No, I think you must-"

"Hi Remus."

He blushed and turned around. "Er. Hi Lily."

"Hi Lily," Sirius batted his eyelashes at her.

Her face darkened as she acknowledged him. "Sirius." She quickly turned away and found a seat near the front. She scanned the room nervously. She would have paid more attention to Sirius mocking her, but she had bigger things on her mind, like, say, having burned down the school library the night before. Her stomach was still in knots, and seeing Remus did not make it any better. It was further heightened by the fact that a group of Ravenclaws nearby were sniggering in her direction. She sat up straighter in her chair and focused her attention on the blackboard.

"Ow!" Something smacked her in the back of the head. She bent over, rubbing the sore spot and picked up what hit her. It was a spongy red arrow someone had conjured. It read "Property of Cupid" on the side. She turned around to see who'd thrown it only to be faced with laughter.

"Damn you, cupid! Hasn't she been wounded enough?" Someone cried dramatically.

"Ha ha, very funny," she grumbled, tossing it behind her and pulling out her quill. She could feel Remus' pitying eyes drilling into the side of her head, but she steadfastly ignored him. That was the absolute _last _thing she wanted from anyone. Especially him.

Just then, interrupting the laughter, a beefy walrus of a man burst through the doors and lumbered up to the front of the class.

"Morning, everyone."

"Good morning Professor Slughorn," the class replied in monotone unison.

"Come on, then! What kind of greeting is that for your _favourite_ teacher?" He bellowed.

"Good _morning_ Professor Slughorn!" They replied in scattered tones.

"Er…better…Anyway," he clamped down his jaw and snorted out, ruffling his thick moustache. "I'm sure you're all aware of the tragic happenings of last night."

Everyone began mumbling.

"Ah, ah." He held up a hand to quiet them. "To settle the rumours, I've been asked to inform you all that yes, the library has in fact burned down, and no, the culprit has not yet been determined."

Lily glanced around the room, looking for James. Did that mean he was off the hook and had miraculously kept his mouth shut? She was going to have to send that boy a fruit basket.

"What about study hall?" someone piped up.

"It's been moved to Vector's room for the time being," Slughorn replied. "And as for all the books, Madame Pince is working on restoring them as we speak. She could use some extra hands, so any volunteers are welcome."

Several of the Ravenclaws nodded their heads in agreement and began whispering things like, "I'll be there" and "Who could do such a thing to historic property? Do people find that funny?"

Lily felt the guilt gnawing at her chest. Incidentally, she could also hear Sirius rolling with laughter. "No more books! James and I are saved! Merlin charm the culprit!"

Several students laughed while others flashed him a disgusted look.

The doors clanked suddenly, and half the class turned to see who had arrived late. James walked in and sauntered to his desk.

"You're late, boy." Slughorn furrowed his brow.

"Quidditch practice," James said simply, even though everyone, including Slughorn, was perfectly aware that Sirius Black was also in the class and Quidditch season hadn't even began. Lily frowned. Just another free ticket for James.

Slughorn slapped his belly and laughed. "Ah! Of course! The star player arrives. Have a seat, old boy."

James conveniently plopped down next to Lily, giving her a genuine "I've got it under control" wink.

Lily sighed and tried to focus on taking notes, but James kept staring at her. Several minutes went by. Her heart was beating wildly. She couldn't take it. She had to know what James knew. Tearing off a bit of parchment, she scribbled a quick note:

_What happened with McGonagall?_

She folded it and passed it slyly to James just as Slughorn turned his back.

James opened it and smirked, then leaned forward in his chair and lazily jotted something in response. He folded it and held it out for her to take.

Lily eyed him cautiously, glancing up to make sure Slughorn's back was still turned, and reached out to take it. But James snatched her hand and held on to it for what seemed like ages. His hazel eyes were boring into hers, and danced with mischievous delight. An unreadable smirk formed on his face and then he let her hand gently slide out of his.

Lily's heart was racing. She could feel the obvious blush on her cheeks, no doubt what he was smirking about, and turned back to face the front of the room. Carefully she unfolded the parchment and peered down at it. Her heart skipped a beat.

_You owe me one._


	11. Can't We All Just Be Friends?

**Chapter Eleven: Can't We All Just Be Friends?**

This was not how things were supposed to be. Lily Evans was the top student. She was a prefect. _She _was on the fast track to becoming Head Girl.

And this is what she had been reduced to.

"Evans!" A voice bellowed. "You forgot this one."

Lily groaned and turned obediently toward James, a leaning tower of parchment and scrolls tottering in her arms. "Yes, James?"

"Now, now, Evans." James sauntered over and delicately placed the last scroll atop the pile which was teetering dangerously to the left. "What did I say about calling me James?"

Lily immediately flushed and hung her head. She mumbled something into the stack.

"Sorry?" He leaned in closer, a hand to his ear. "Didn't catch that."

Lily looked him straight in the eye. "Yes…" she narrowed her eyes and sighed, "_Master_ Potter."

James grinned delightedly and ruffled her hair. She frowned as her perfect ponytail was torn to shreds.

"Make sure these are finished by the end of the week. I can't have all this work hanging over my head with Quidditch season starting."

Ah, yes. _Quidditch season._ Damn it all. Lily grumbled and caught a stray paper with her teeth just before it fluttered away. "Ja'se," she pleaded through her clenched jaw, "I haf my oown wor oo ge' one."

"What?" James looked up from his now empty book bag and wrenched the parchment from her mouth. "Lily, speak _English_, please."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "James, how do you expect me to- oof-!" a couple scrolls tumbled to the ground, "How do you expect me to finish all of this _and_ my work?"

James shrugged and loosened his collar. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you burned down the library."

Several more of the scrolls went flying off the stack as Lily whirled around wildly to see if anyone had overheard. "_James_!" She hissed.

He leaned down and picked up the scrolls and crammed them into the crook of Lily's arm. "Calm down. No one heard."

Lily hoped he was right. The corridor was empty, but could he really blame her for being paranoid? One slip of his big mouth would lead to her being expelled. Now the only way to keep it shut was to do his bidding. She sighed and peered out the window.

Orange and rust coloured leaved littered the courtyard. It was a beautiful autumn day. No doubt James would take advantage of it for Quidditch practice, seeing as the new season was starting in about a week. She wished she could be so carefree with her time.

The last time she'd seen a day like this, she and Petunia were at the park with their mother, waiting for her father to show up for a picnic. By the time he got there, all the food was cold and mushy, but they ate it anyway since their mother insisted they wait. That was one thing about Lily's mother…everything had to be done properly. Even running outside and jumping in the leaf piles had to be done in an orderly fashion. Petunia would jump, scrape the pile back up, and then it was Lily's turn.

Of course Petunia would do everything to avoid getting her hands dirty. Thinking she was so clever, she'd act as though she were through, wait for Lily to scrape the mess of dried leaves Petunia had left, and then run and leap into it just as Lily was turning around to take her turn. The little brat.

"Coming?"

Lily snapped back to reality, and turned to find James watching her impatiently. She'd been staring absentmindedly, and he was already several paces ahead. "Oh…sorry."

She scurried to catch up with him, juggling the scrolls and her book bag. They kept dropping and she'd have to reach down to pick them up, and lose several more in the process. "Shoot…"

James sighed audibly and rolled his eyes.

"Sorry…sorry…" she grumbled. She was reaching to pick up the last one when James snatched it up before she could even wrap a finger around it.

"I- er-"

Without a word, James took the scrolls from her, and snagged her book bag nimbly from her shoulder, and tossed it carelessly over his.

"Oh…" Lily stared blankly at the few lightweight sheets of parchment she was left with. "Er…"

"Has anyone ever told you you're clumsy?"

Lily furrowed her brow. "Yes, thank you. It's been briefly mentioned."

James was walking faster, and she was trying to keep up with his long, slender legs. "Just because I'm carrying these doesn't mean you're off the hook from doing them."

"I know that," she said quickly. James had a funny look on his face, but Lily couldn't quite place it. Mostly he just looked grumpy. Man, that boy was moody.

"Er…" She hesitated. "Would you mind if I put these off until tonight. I wanted to go to the Great Hall and help Madame Pince with restoring all those books."

James laughed. "What's wrong? Feeling guilty, are we?"

Lily frowned. "Of course I feel guilty! This is probably the _least_ I could do…"

"You could always confess. But I'd much rather you be my personal slave," his eyes glittered.

"Trust me," she grumbled. "The thought has crossed my mind."

They approached the portrait of the Fat Lady and she eyed them curiously. "Password?" she said primly.

"Marmite," he said dismissively and started toward the portrait hole, but skidded to a halt when he realized it was still shut.

The Fat Lady peered down at him through an ostentatious eye-glass. "Wrong."

"Oh. Right. What I meant to say was 'marmot.'"

Lily smirked.

"No."

James blinked. He shifted uneasily, glancing peripherally at Lily. "Erm…marmoset?"

"No."

James glared. He could feel Lily's laughing eyes on him. There was no way he was going to ask her. "Marmie."

"That's not a word." The Fat Lady yawned and examined a nail.

"Well you aren't making this _easy_ for me-" he hissed, grinding his teeth. He heaved a sigh and tried again. "Marmaduke?"

The Fat Lady furrowed her brow. "Who's Marmaduke?"

James looked about ready to explode.

Lily let a giggle escape and he whirled around, nearly pouncing on her. "Funny, is it?"

"Actually…" she stared at him wide-eyed. "…yes. It is." And burst into laughter.

"Oh, ha ha ha!" he waved his hands in the air. "James can't remember the password. Hilarious. Really."

"Would you like me to just tell-"

"No!" He roared. "I'll figure it out."

Lily and the Fat Lady exchanged glances and shrugged. "He's a man, darling." The Lady took a sip of her champagne.

A man? Well, Lily wasn't sure about that. She watched James fuming and stomping back and forth in front of the portrait, spewing nonsensical words. A boy, perhaps. Still a boy.

"Marmosa!" he cried, with a victorious finger in the air.

"It's mimosa, dear," the Lady sighed and swished her glass, taking another sip. "And I don't believe you're of age yet."

Lily checked her watch. She could hang around here while James attempted to be manly and stubborn, or she could dash over to the Great Hall to help with the books. She glanced at James, pacing and flustered, then snatched her book bag and hurried off to the Great Hall.

---

Madame Pince scanned the small crowd of students, mostly Ravenclaw, with her hawk eyes and hovered scarily close to Lily as she carefully rebound a copy of _Hogwarts, A History_. She swore she could feel Pince's breath on the back of her neck, and it was making her quite uncomfortable. This effort to help the school had turned into a sort of slave-driven assembly line thanks to the obsessive librarian. But Lily deserved worse. Much, much worse, especially considering it was _she_ who had inflicted all this damage to the books.

Each one had to be carefully stripped, and each page restored by siphoning off the ash and repairing the ink of the text. Lily sighed in relief as Madame Pince scurried off to the end of the table where a second-year Ravenclaw was sending loose pages flying every-which-way.

Lily glanced to her left. A familiar blonde haired Ravenclaw was seated primly next to her. The girl lifted her gaze momentarily from her work and caught Lily's stare with her crystal blue eyes. She shot Lily a piercing glare and then went back to work. Lily blushed deeply.

She was also a prefect, Lily remembered, but she didn't know her name. What kept Lily from asking her, however, was the fact that those crystal blue eyes were the same that had given her that very look outside the robe shop in Hogsmeade. This was the girl whose twenty-some-odd robes she'd carelessly ruined.

Remembering the incident suddenly brought a flood of memories and worries back. The debt…Lily Evans was officially in debt. How could she have imagined this would ever happen to her? It seemed to be just one thing in a series of disastrous events all caused by her clumsiness these past two months. Well, she had to start fixing it somewhere, and if she couldn't quite do it in Galleons, then…

"Hi," Lily smiled to the blonde.

The blonde girl made no sign that she'd heard or cared.

Lily cleared her throat and tried again, this time laying down the book. "Erm…hi. I'm Lily," she held out her hand.

The girl stared straight ahead and continued flicking her wand over each page of the book, siphoning off the ash.

"Er…maybe you don't remember m-"

"IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO WORK, THEN GET OUT!" Madame Pince's sharp voice cut through the shuffling of pages from the opposite end of the long table.

Lily blushed and went immediately back to work. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the blonde girl smirking.

A small fire caught in the pit of Lily's stomach. "Funny, is it? Me being humiliated?" She spoke before she could stop herself. Everyone seemed to find Lily's embarrassing moments hilarious these past weeks.

The girl turned to face her icily, as had a few other curious girls around them. "Not at all."

"Look," Lily said angrily, trying to multi-task with the book in her hand, but it was shaking slightly. She was a bit stressed at the moment, and she didn't need any attitude from a fellow prefect. Lily was just trying to be _nice_. "I just wanted to apologize for the robe mishap in Hogsmeade the other day-"

The girl laughed in Lily's face. "You _are_ quite full of yourself."

"…what?" Lily furrowed her brow and set down the book she'd been working on.

The girl continued to flick her wand, her back straight as a board. "That's not why I don't like you."

"But…do you even know who I am?"

The girl scoffed. "Of course I know who you are. You're Lily Evans. But do you know who I am?"

Lily hesitated.

"Of course not. Because when you aren't walking around with a book shoved so far up your bum you can read every word, you're traipsing around the school ordering every living creature at Hogwarts to be as stuck-up and goody-goody as you." The girl was fuming. "And my _name_ is Mila, by the way. Mila Lofgren, if you care."

And with that, she dropped the book she'd finished repairing unceremoniously on the table (followed by a scandalized gasp from Madame Pince), and stomped out of the Great Hall, her curtain of icy blonde hair swinging behind her.

Lily was frozen in shock. She never…she never thought…Well, Lily knew she wasn't everyone's favourite person, but she didn't know anyone simply…_hated_ her…

Her stomach flopped and she stood up and walked slowly out of the Hall, carried by the murmurs of the other girls.

The rest of the walk back to the dormitories was a bit of a blur. She was lost in her thoughts, and her stomach was churning with anger and guilt and confusion. It wasn't until she felt the sharp tug at the hem of her robes that she awakened from her tizzy.

"Lily. _Please_." James Potter was actually on his hands and knees. He clutched her robes desperately. "Not a single Gryffindor has passed through these halls in the past four hours. Not. One."

"You know," she stared down at him sceptically. "You could have just found someone."

He stood up in a flash. "And sully my reputation? I think not!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "What reputation? You're a marauder."

"Exactly." James nodded fervently. "Marauders don't forget superfluous things like passwords."

Lily pushed past him. She wasn't in the mood for this. "Marmalade."

"Enter," the Fat Lady smiled.

James gaped. "_Marmalade_? I knew that! Damn it."

Lily wandered in to find Rue perched happily on one of the red velvet armchairs, warming himself by the fire. "Rue!" she exclaimed, with a sudden burst of cheer and dashed over to him. There were two letters attached to his leg. He held it out expectantly and she untied them. Grateful to be free of his load, he hooted and buzzed off, squeezing through a cracked open window.

She excitedly tore open the first one. It was an envelope. It had to be…

_Dearest Lily, _

_Heavens, do we miss you! I hope you haven't forgotten your dreary old family up in that school of yours. I expect your grades are tip-top! We all know how hard of a worker you are. Your father misses you dearly. He sends his love. And so does Petunia, though she's not exactly here at the moment…In fact, she's likely on the phone with her new boyfriend, if you can believe it. Heavens that girl is growing up fast…_

Lily smiled. Her heart suddenly ached for home. The one place in the world she could go to forget her problems, and where everyone actually _liked_ her…

_Be certain to clear your schedule for next weekend, darling. Your father, Petunia and I will be paying that quaint little town Hogsmeade for a visit! That lovely Minerva said it could be easily arranged so that we can see you! She's even offered a tour of the school! Petunia's a bit nervous about it, but she'll be fine, I'm sure! Your father is completely ecstatic about seeing-_

Lily stopped reading at the word visit. Okay, her heart didn't ache _that_ badly. Her family was coming _here_? Her parents were coming here? _Petunia_ was coming _here_? No, no, no. Not. Good.

There had to be a way out of this.

She crumpled up the letter and shoved it in her pocket, then spun around to find James' head ridiculously close to hers.

"So, your family is coming for a visit? Fancy a turn around Hogsmeade, do they?" James asked amiably, but Lily quickly saw through his little act, catching the faintest smirk flit across his features.

"That's none of your business."

James laughed and shook his head. He looped his arm over Lily's shoulder. "On the _contrary_, Lilykins. It's very much my business. After all, my servant's family is my family."

"Is that so?" Lily peeled his arm off of her and slipped out of his reach. "How thoughtful of you."

"I thought so. I think it will be quite fun."

"What will be?" Lily muttered deadpan.

James collapsed into one of the velvet chairs by the fireplace. "Meeting your family of course."

Lily flung her head back, laughing. "_You_? Meet my family? Ha! I think not, Potter."

James raised an eyebrow. "Ahem."

Lily glared. "_Master_ Potter."

"Much better." He leapt up so quickly, Lily barely had a chance to blink. "Now what's this one say?"

It took Lily a moment to realize he was unravelling her other letter. "Hey!" she cried, snatching it from him. "Private!"

He shrugged and collapsed back into the chair. "What's it say?"

Lily didn't respond. She had quickly turned a sickly shade of off-white.

James frowned. "C'mon then. Spit it out. Lily?"

Of course. She should have expected this sooner or later…

_Dear Madame Evans, _

_It has been brought to our attention that we have not yet received the reimbursement for the _27 _designer fashion gowns you damaged. Please enclose the amount due in the provided scroll and return to this address. Your current balance is:_

Lily nearly passed out. She didn't even _know_ anyone with that kind of money! How was she going to pay all of this back?

_As the terms of Wonderful Wizard Credit state, your account will be terminated and collateral will be promptly collected if the aforementioned amount is not paid by the deadline._

Collateral…why was that word chilling her bones? Oh yes, she remembered now. Because collateral in the Wizarding World apparently meant _the removal of limbs_! Lily began hyperventilating.

James jumped up immediately. "Lily, are you all right?"

Lily held her breath and plastered a grin on her face. "_Yes_!" she squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Erm…yes. Yes, I'm fine! Well, gosh, look at the time. I'd better get started on those scrolls for you…"

"What did that letter say?" he wasn't going to let her go that easily.

With the quickest flick of her wrist, Lily tapped the parchment with her wand and it burst into flames, obliterated. "What letter?"

James growled. "Subtle. What's wrong? You don't look so well."

"James, really, I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle."

Something in James' gaze flickered. "Well you didn't look alright a minute ago." He was blocking her way to the dormitory.

Honestly? Since when had he been so concerned with her welfare? "James, please move. I'm excellent. Tip-top." She repeated her mother's cheery phrase. "Really." She added for good measure, looking him in the eye.

James grunted. He didn't seem satisfied but moved away anyhow. "Just don't let whatever it is interfere with my homework." And with that he strolled up to the boy's dormitories.

Lily heaved a sigh and rubbed her temples. No matter. She'd solve this. She'd…think of…something…


	12. Howler

**Chapter Twelve: Howler**

"Bugger." Sirius was scrounging through his trunk, tossing its contents all over the floor. A stale old sock flew through the air and smacked Peter in the face.

"Oy!" Peter peeled the sock disgustedly off his cheek and pulled out his wand offensively, jabbing it in Sirius' direction. "Watch it!"

Sirius ignored him and stood abruptly. He flung his arms into the air dramatically. "I can't find it! I'm doomed!"

"What?" Remus crunched on an apple, lounged on his bed.

Sirius hung his head and held up a hand. "It's too painful to talk about…please…just-" he clutched his face tragically, "-let me grieve."

James strolled by and smacked Sirius on the side of the head with something leathery and solid. "You mean this?"

Sirius practically leaped for joy. "Yes!" He hugged the tattered object to his chest and sighed longingly. "My lucky left Quidditch glove!"

"You must be joking," Peter shook his head. "Just buy a new one. That thing can't possibly be useful anymore."

Sirius whirled around in a flash, guarding the glove protectively in the crook of his arm, and aimed his wand at Peter. "Take- that- BACK!"

"I won't!" Peter got to his feet defensively, pulling his own wand back out.

Remus smirked. "James has got a lucky Quidditch charm too. Don't you James?"

James wasn't paying was attention. His head was buried in _The Daily Prophet_. "Huh? Oh…yeah…yeah I do."

Sirius nodded and laughed. "Oh yeah! I forgot…See, Pete? At least I'm not like James. He carries around a little doll."

James glared up from the pages. "For your _information_, it's carved from a giant Kelpie fang."

"Is that supposed to make it manlier?" Peter raised his brow.

James groaned and stepped between Sirius and Peter, still skimming the sports section of the _Prophet_ and clearly making every effort to ignore Peter. "Look at this!" He backhanded the paper irately. "Another season begins with the stinking Wasps trading another one of their shotty Chasers for one of the Magpies'! How do the Magpies expect to pull out of their slump when they're practically _giving_ away their best men?"

Sirius shook his head in agreement. "That damned MacFarlan needs to get out of the Ministry and back onto the field! They've never been the same since he left as captain…"

"Ahem…" A small voice came from behind them.

All the boys turned to Lily, who was situated comfortably at one of the desks in the corner. A quill was in one hand, and stacks of parchment were neatly ordered around her. "Do you boys mind? I'm trying to work here." She said primly.

Sirius frowned and jabbed his thumb in her direction. "Who let her in here?"

"Excuse me!" she looked offended.

They continued to talk over her. James folded up the paper, still angry with the Quidditch teams, and shook his head. "She's helping me with some homework," he said dismissively.

Remus frowned and peered over at Lily. "Why would she help you?"

Lily was tapping her foot impatiently now. She wasn't particularly fond of being discussed while she was in the same room. "Excuse me."

Peter laughed. "She doesn't _fancy_ you, does she?"

Lily gaped at this. "I-"

"Wouldn't surprise me," James shrugged, pulling off his tie and undoing to first few buttons.

"_Excuse m_-"

"No, no," Sirius interjected, "She fancies _Remus_. Get a clue, Wormtail."

"Really?" he frowned. "I thought she was past that…"

Lily was flushed scarlet. She wanted to scream.

Remus scowled and put down his book. "Perhaps we could change the topic?"

"Why?" James turned suddenly.

Remus stood up. "What was that?"

"I said why?" James challenged, taking a step closer. "Uncomfortable thinking about the fact that she may fancy me more than you?"

"Oh please, James. This is neither the time nor the place-"

"EXCUSE ME!" Lily screamed.

The dorm fell deadly silent but for the heaving breaths of Lily Evans, standing now, fists clenched and shaking at her sides.

"I am…" she took a deep breath, "I am _still_ in the _room_."

Remus blushed noticeably, while James just stared. Peter and Sirius suppressed smiles.

Lily gathered her things and shoved them in her bag. "Now, give me a moment…" She pushed the desk chair back in violently, threw on her cloak and stomped to the door. She paused at the threshold, hand on the doorknob. "Alright. Continue." And she slammed the door behind her.

She had just rounded the corner toward study hall in Professor Vector's room when- Thunk! The parchment and scrolls spewed across the floor. Lily moaned helplessly. It was not her day. Or her week. Make that week_s_. She'd not had a moment of peace since James had conveniently decided to make her his personal slave. She did nothing but follow him around to Quiddtich practice, conjure him Pumpkin Pasties when he felt like it, do his homework, and pointlessly rearrange his socks for reasons which, frankly, Lily presumed were of a spiteful nature and the product of his sick sense of humour.

"I'm so sorry!" a soft voice made Lily glance up.

Melinda Moonshine had crouched down in front of her to help clean up the mess.

"Oh…hi, Miss Moonshine!" Lily smiled, her heart lifting.

"Please," she scolded. "Call me Melinda!"

"Right. Sorry," Lily blushed. They finished gathering the last few scrolls and Melinda helped her by conjuring a levitating silver net to hold everything. "Thank you!" Lily said gratefully. "Things are a bit…er…hectic for me at the moment."

"I couldn't tell," Melinda replaced her wand and smiled. "Your classes are treating you brutally, I see."

"Yes…er…in a way."

Melinda bit her lip. "Lily…I hope you don't mind me saying this, but…how are you holding up?"

"Er…what do you mean?"

"Well…I sort of overheard what happened in Hogsmeade." She tilted her head pityingly.

"Oh. That. Yes, well, bygones, right?" Lily chuckled unconvincingly.

Melinda brushed the silky black hair over her shoulders and looped her arm through Lily's. "I thought you might like to talk about it."

"Wh-why would you say that?" They turned a corner and wandered out into the sunny courtyard. It was deceiving though; there were rain clouds looming in the distance.

"It's difficult," Melinda replied, "being the top of the school and the bottom of the food chain. Am I right?"

Lily shrugged. "It's fine. I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't be."

Lily frowned. She wasn't entirely sure she liked this conversation. Her mind began swimming with Mila Lofgren's words, the girl whose robes she'd ruined, and the jeering faces of her peers as Remus' face had melded into James'…Her voice took a defensive tone. "Why not? I'm happy with my life. Besides, like your book says, '_don't let the world get you down._ _Live for yourself, not your peers_.'"

Melinda laughed. "Yes…I did say that, didn't I? Though that's not entirely what I meant." She sighed and shook her head. "Lily…you haven't always been like this, have you?"

She hesitated. "Why would you ask that?"

"I'm sorry. This is too forward of me."

Lily unlinked her arm from Melinda's. "No, what did you mean?"

Melinda shook her head. "I don't want our friendship to start off like this."

"Then be a counsellor for a moment and tell me what you're thinking," Lily eyed her a bit fiercely. "I mean, it's not as if you know me, like you're supposing to at the moment. So tell me. What am I like?"

Melinda's disposition changed quite rapidly from complacent to stern. "Don't read that filth anymore. It's complete garbage, Lily. That self-help book was a brainless old term paper inflated with fluff to get me through my internship at _The Daily Prophet_ without starving to death. I regret I ever let that thing go into print." She sighed, "If you want self acceptance or feel like sharing your thoughts, please, come to _me_. I'm a real person. My book is not who I am."

Lily didn't know what to say. So in lieu of her silence, Melinda patted Lily simply on the shoulder. "Please consider my offer. I know a hurting heart and mind when I see it."

And with that, she was gone, leaving Lily to stew in silence.

---

Dinner didn't improve Lily's mood. By this point, she was not only frustrated and hurt, but confused as well. Was she really as selfish as Mila had claimed? Was she that self-absorbed?

A group of second-year girls wandered toward Lily's end of the table, as if they were about to join her. They weren't paying much attention, but Lily smiled amiably at them. They turned from their conversation, caught a wide-eyed glimpse of Lily's smile, and turned on their heels.

Lily frowned as they scurried off to the opposite end of the table. Was she really that repulsive? Or were they just afraid she was going to deduct points for their too-short skirts they had rolled at the waist? Which she wasn't! Maybe. After all, it was against school policy. And just plain tacky! Lily jabbed her broccoli savagely with her fork.

"Oh come, now. What has it ever done to you?"

Lily glanced up.

James dropped down beside her and began loading up his plate.

"Er…sorry?" Lily raised an eyebrow.

James took a bite out of his roll and nodded toward her plate. "The broccoli. It's just an innocent bystander. What's got your knickers in a twist?"

Lily started down at her plate. The vegetables were practically smeared across the plate she'd beat the things so bad. She blushed and set her fork down, pushing the plate aside. As if this were a sign she'd finished, the plate vanished and reappeared perfectly clean once more.

James continued to stuff his face as if it were his last meal. Lily couldn't help but smirk. He acted like such a child sometimes. It was almost endearing.

"Ha HA!" James laughed out loud at a first year who'd just tripped and fallen flat on his face, his books and papers in a mess around him. James' mouth was full, and bits of food went flying.

Almost endearing. Almost.

Lily shook her head. He could be such a prat sometimes. She was just thinking of a few sharp words for him, when James slid out his wand one-handed and lazily flicked it, gathering the boy's things into a neat stack that landed conveniently in his little arms. The boy blushed and smiled shyly at James who barely took notice for he had just spied the mashed potatoes hidden behind Lily.

The boy scurried away to join his friends while James leaned across her to reach the potatoes. Lily watched him quizzically a moment, and felt her own face flushing, possibly deeper than the boy's, and tried to hide it. James didn't seem to notice though. He plopped back in his seat and began dishing some out for himself. He offered it to Lily, but she simply shook her head. He surprised her in the simplest of ways sometimes…

"Ow!" Lily sucked on her finger to sooth the pain. She glanced down. Rue was sitting there on her empty plate hooting indignantly. He'd nipped her finger a bit too hard. Perhaps she'd been in a trance. She laughed nervously and patted Rue. "Sorry…" Then she froze.

James was still shovelling in the food. People were chattering around her, oblivious. Rue was dancing around delightedly, trying to peck at the crumbs around James' plate.

But Lily was staring at the bright red envelope in her hands. Not this…anything but this…It began to smoke a bit around the edges and Lily dropped it frightfully.

"ATTENTION, LILY EVANS," cried the letter, as it unfurled and snapped open and shut dangerously close to Lily's face.

Of course, more than Lily's attention had been grabbed. The entire hall was now staring, including James who'd dropped his fork just as it was about to enter his mouth.

"IT APPEARS YOU FEEL, FOR WHATEVER PITIFUL REASON, THAT YOU ARE ABOVE THE LAW. YOU CANNOT EVADE YOUR DEBT FOR MUCH LONGER. IF YOU DO NOT PAY YOUR DUE FEES TO ALEXANDRIA'S FINE FITTINGS, YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE TERMINATED AND ACTION _WILL_ BE APPROPRIATELY TAKEN. THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING. THAT IS ALL. GOOD DAY."

Lily clutched the stitch of her chest. He left arm was going numb. Was is at all possible for a sixteen year old girl to have a heart attack?

"_This message has been brought to you by Haggar's Fine Howlers, the makers of Invites-R-Us and Sympathy Unlimited. Thank you for your patronage_." And with that, the thing burst into flames.

Lily thought she might cry. The muttering and laughter started almost at once, and though she tried not to look, she swore she saw Charlotte, Helen, and Florence rolling with glee, and out the corner of her eye, she saw Mila smirking to her friends at the Ravenclaw table and she muttered something that made them all laugh. Lily simply stared hard at the gold-rimmed plate in front of her, the remaining bits of singed parchment fluttering across her napkin, a scalded effigy of her dignity.

"So…" James rocked back in his seat. "That's what you've been so grumpy about."

Lily couldn't take this anymore. She stood abruptly, and grabbed her bag. "Excuse me." She took off out of the Hall as quickly as she could. Why was it _her_ enduring all of this ridicule? Of course, it wasn't as though she didn't deserve it, with what she'd done to the library. But this, the library, James' foul prank, Remus…all of it…It was getting to be a bit much.

She could feel a tear begin to trickle down her cheek and she wiped it away stubbornly. No. She was not going to cry about this. It was silly. It's not like it really mattered what anyone thought. Not really…

And then she ran smack dab into a tall figure. He caught her elbow to keep her from stumbling.

"James, please," Lily tried to pull away. "Just leave me-"

"Lily?" It was Remus. He peered down at her, his head tilted in concern. She immediately blushed and tried to turn away, but he was grasping her elbows rather firmly.

And then, to her horror, before she could stop it, tears began pouring down her face.

Remus looked instantly awkward. "Er…"

Lily shook her head, "I'm sorry…I'm really sorry…I just…" She tried to wipe them away, sniffing, but they kept coming. "I…"

Remus frowned and, to Lily's amazement, pulled her into a hug. "It's alright. Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be fine." He patted her back.

Lily almost laughed. He had absolutely no idea what was going on, and he was making a rather pathetic attempt to sooth her. It made her smile. But this wasn't what she needed. Besides, Remus was the last person she was going to unload her troubles on. She rubbed her eyes and pulled away. "Thank you…I'm fine."

Remus was still concerned. "Are you sure? You don't look it…"

Lily shook her head. "I will be, thank you. I just need to…" She turned awkwardly from him and was heading toward the next corridor when she saw James leaning casually against a pillar, his eyes fixed on her.

She hesitated. Had he seen her crying? Had he seen her with Remus? She felt herself blushing again despite her best efforts, but James' gaze was so intense she could barely take it. It was almost accusing.

Lily glanced behind her, but Remus was already gone.

"Alright, then?" he peered down at her as she walked by him. She was aware her eyes were still rimmed with pink.

She continued past, as if she'd barely heard him and had someplace more important to be. "Yes, thank you."

"Had a good cry? Got it all out then?"

Lily's insides rumbled. "I'm fine, thank you, James."

He didn't even bother to remind her to call him '_Master Potter_.' She turned the corner and he followed, his pace quickening beside her. "So. You owe some money, do you?"

Lily stopped in her tracks and turned on him. "Why do you _care_?"

"Because you're my sla-"

"I am _not_ your _slave_, James Potter. And I am not your friend," she hissed. "Don't think I've forgotten what you pulled on me in Hogsmeade. I'm not that forgiving. And as you aren't my friend, you don't have the privilege of discussing things with me as though you are. If you want me to finish your homework, fine. If you want me to fetch you something from the kitchens, perfect. That's what a 'slave' is supposed to do, yes? But that's where it stops."

James looked furious. "And what if I _order_ you to be my friend?"

Lily cocked her head incredulously. "_Please_, James. You have all the friends in the world, this school wrapped around your finger, and enough money to buy everything you've ever dreamed of. You don't need me, nor do you want me as a friend. You only want me because you think you can't have me, and I am not your prize to be won, thanks."

"I never said-"

"I'm not deaf. I can hear you and Remus arguing," Lily was fuming, her eyes blazing. "You fight about who and whether I'm in love with either of you. Well, I'm my own woman, and I make my own choices, and at this moment, I don't particularly care for either of you. No one seems to simply consider me a living, breathing _person_. No, I'm just Lily, the emotionless robot who deducts points for bad behaviour."

James was blocking her path. "I didn't say you could leave."

"Oh, so you dictate every movement, do you?" she glared. "So be it. What's my next move, James? Please, enlighten me."

He stared her down. "Kiss me."

Lily's jaw dropped, her face draining of colour, then she regained herself and laughed. "Please James. Don't insult me. Now move."

But his eyes gave no sign of levity. They were burning with as much fire as Lily's. "I gave you an order."

"I'm done taking your orders. Tell the world if you like. I'm going to turn myself into McGonagall," she spat. "This has gotten ridiculous."

This time, she made a genuine effort to push past James, but he had caught her by the shoulders and pulled her towards him. And then his lips were on hers.

Lily didn't have time to think. She didn't have time to question his actions…or hers, for that matter, for she was sinking slowly into his kiss. He tasted warm, and good…there really wasn't another way to explain it. She opened her mouth wider to deepen the kiss, and all of her thoughts washed away. She melted.

It wasn't like any she'd had before. Not with the other boys she'd dated…they were pathetic in comparison. This kiss was…it was heated…and it was with- _James_.

And it was over. Lily pulled away and her eyes met James'. His gaze was still smouldering, as if he were going to kiss her again. But Lily was simply confused. She bit her lip and pushed him back. She looked him straight in the eye, her expression unreadable, and then pushed past him and took off down the corridor.

James stood frozen to the spot, her warm taste lingering on his lips and in his mouth. Had he just…kissed Lily Evans?

---

Melinda's wavy locks shimmered in the candlelight. It was getting late. She yawned liberally and capped the quill ink. She was rolling up her unused parchment when there came a knock at her door.

"Come in," she leaned forward curiously to see who could be calling at this hour.

The door creaked open, and there stood Lily, wet and tired, bags beneath her eyes. She looked like she'd been traipsing around the grounds in the rain for quite awhile. She seemed unaware that the limp parchment and books wedged in the crook of her arm were spoiled.

"Lily!" Melinda stood up abruptly, pushing out her chair.

"I…" Lily swallowed hard. "I was hoping we could talk, maybe. Just for a minute?"


	13. Apology

**Chapter Thirteen: Apology**

It was quite chilly.

Lily wrapped her cloak tighter around her, shook the stray auburn strands from her eyes and stretched. In the distance the surface of the lake shimmered, reflecting the rising sun. Little bugs were buzzing about at the start of the new day, and the pixies were gladly taking pest control into their own little webbed fingers.

Lily hadn't slept a wink last night. She'd been up talking to Melinda for quite some time; everything had sort of just…spilled out. It started with a briefing on James' treatment of her, their little deal, and of course, that entailed admitting she had started the fire in the library.

Granted, it was rebuilding quite nicely. In fact, the building itself was repaired rather quickly with magic. Its contents, however, were not in the greatest shape. Madame Pince's efforts to restore the books and other priceless items was taking longer than expected, and many had been lost completely.

Lily felt terrible. She hadn't bothered to go back to her dorm at all. She'd simply spent the evening thinking by the lake, watching the beast's tentacles splash idly about until the stars began to fade. There was no point in hiding from Filch. She knew that Melinda, as an authority on campus, had a duty to report it to the Headmaster. In fact, perhaps it would be better if Filch simply caught her and drug her off. After all, it was only a matter of time before Dumbledore or McGonagall called her in to have her expelled. It was the only reasonable punishment for what she had done.

And, of all those things to think about, there was also James.

James Potter.

Ugh, what was she thinking?

Lily wiped her lips once more at the memory and wandered back up to the castle. She might as well face her fate right now, head on.

---

"_How did it make you feel?" _

_Lily blinked down at her open palms laid flat on her lap. She looked up. "What?" _

_Melinda tipped her head and leaned back in her chair. "When he kissed you. How did it make you feel?" _

"_Er…" she blushed. "I-I don't know- I mean- fine- I think…"_

_Melinda cocked an eyebrow. "It made you feel…fine?" _

"_Er. Well. You know. I mean, it was a kiss. It was…" she could feel the blush creeping steadily higher. "It was a kiss…it was nice…"_

_Melinda smiled. "I see." _

---

Lily gulped and lifted her chin. In all her years at Hogwarts, she had only been sent to Dumbledore's office twice. And one of those times was to congratulate her on her impeccable O.W.L.S. and to discuss some international exchange programs with the Ministry. And now she was marching to the scaffold on her own accord. She wouldn't wait for word to travel to him, she would tell him herself. It was the least-

Wham!

Lily toppled to the floor, cushioned by her bum. "Ngghh…" she groaned and rubbed her backside. But when she looked up her heart skipped a beat. It was McGonagall. Lily gulped.

McGonagall tutted. "Good heavens!" she adjusted her hat and smoothed her black robes. "Miss Evans, what on _earth_ are you doing up at this hour?"

Lily swallowed hard. "Er…I was just…just coming to see the Headmaster."

McGonagall squinted inquisitively. "The Headmaster? Well I'm afraid he is out on business at the moment. What is it that you need?"

"Well…" Lily began slowly. "It's just that…" McGonagall looked rather impatient. She was tapping her foot. This only made Lily more nervous. "It's just, I'm assuming you heard about what happened with the library-"

"The library?" McGonagall peered down at her sharply. "Whatever have you heard about the library, Miss Evans?"

"Well, it's not so much heard as seen…"

"Seen?" McGonagall looked furious. "Are you trying to tell me you knew about Potter this whole time and haven't said anything?"

Lily blanched. "Potter?"

"He came to me last night and confessed to having a hand in the entire thing. Some sort of prank as usual…he claims it simply got out of hand," she was rambling, waving a hand dismissively. "But of course this is the final straw. He _will_ meet his punishment."

"Professor, no, I think you mis-"

"Please, Miss Evans," McGonagall peered past Lily's shoulder distractedly. "I really must be going."

Lily opened her mouth, but McGonagall cut her off. "Really, we will continue this conversation later. You had best make your way back to the tower."

"But professor-!" But she'd already gone, black cloak whipping around the corner and disappearing into the shadows.

Lily smacked her forehead and groaned. James had given himself up in her stead?

---

"Perfect. Absolutely perfect, as usual," Helen nodded her head primly.

Charlotte whirled around twice in her beautiful new ice blue dress robes. "Yes. I am."

"James won't be able to resist you," Florence added, slurping on the end of a red sugar quill.

Charlotte grinned slyly. "Who said I liked James?" Then she frowned irritably at Florence and the stream of red dribbling down her chin. "Ugh." She rolled her eyes and looked back in the mirror at her own much more appealing image. "But…I definitely wouldn't mind taking him to the Yule Ball."

Helen giggled. "It's so obvious that you want him!"

"Of course it is!" Charlotte sighed. "Because I _do_."

Just then the door creaked open. Lily dragged herself in and tossed her bag onto her bed. She flopped down on her stomach and buried her face in her pillow.

Charlotte smirked and glanced at Helen and Florence. Sashaying her hips over to the window by Lily's bed, she peered outside. "Out all night again, Lily? Goodness…you must be tired."

Lily was silent, and buried her head deeper into the pillow.

"So…do like my new dress?" Charlotte examined a nail. "It's for the Yule Ball, you know. Are you going to go the Yule Ball, Lily?

"Haven't we already had this conversation?" Lily's muffled voice drifted up from within the pillow.

Charlotte tittered and began wriggling out of her dress. She hung it up and slipped into her robes. "I believe we have. I think there was also mention of James. As in, he's going with _me_. Not you."

Lily snorted and lifted her head. "Fat chance of that, Charlotte."

Her eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean? I thought we agreed you aren't good enough for him."

Lily frowned. "I don't recall that at all. But what I _do_ know is that James Potter will probably never step foot on Hogwarts grounds again."

Charlotte blanched. "A-And just what does that mean? What did you do to him?"

Lily lowered her eyes and lay back down. "What haven't I done to him? Just go away, Charlotte." The thick red curtains shut in Charlotte's face with a snap.

She gasped and stumbled backwards, gaping at Helen and Florence.

"So…" Florence slurped on her feather quill. "I don't suppose you could lend me that dress? You not needing it now and all…"

---

"Melinda!" Lily burst through her office door, unannounced.

Melinda Moonshine peered up from her desk, which was piled with a few neatly stacked boxes which she was magically cramming into a small briefcase.

Lily halted. "Where are you going?"

Melinda smiled. "I'm leaving. Something's come up at home, and I need to take care of it. I'll be back...It's only temporary."

Lily furrowed her brow. "Is everything all right?"

Melinda smiled. "Yes. It will be."

She hesitated, biting her lip. "I...I was wondering..."

Melinda raised her sparkling eyes. "If I'd told Professor McGonagall what you told me?"

Lily blushed, completely embarrassed. "Yes. Well, I assumed you had. I'm sure it's your duty as part of the staff." She fiddled with the hem of her sleeve.

The dark curls shook from Melinda's eyes. "There's no need."

"But...why?"

"Lily, my holiday leave began yesterday. As far as I'm concerned, what you told me was entirely off the record. Besides," she smiled, "That is what friends are for."

Lily stammered, "But I thought that-"

"Lily," Melinda put down her things and faced her, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder. "I know you'll do the right thing."

---

Remus adjusted his spectacles and flicked the page of his book. It was just getting good when-

"Remus?"

He glanced up from his reading and blushed. "Hello, Lily. Er…is there something wrong?"

Lily stood there wringing her hands, back to the fire. They were in the common room and a few students were wandering through. She glanced nervously at them and lowered her voice. "Have you…have you seen James by any chance?"

Remus sighed. "I haven't. Not that he's speaking to me. James…well, he does this sometimes."

Lily frowned. "Does what?"

"Leaves. For days on end. Sometimes weeks."

"_Weeks_?" Her jaw tightened and she felt a damp sweat growing on her brow.

"It's just something he does," Remus said, closing his book. "I wouldn't worry. He'll turn up."

Lily began to panic. The boy can't turn himself in and then disappear! "But where does he go? How does he even get off the grounds?"

Remus smirked. "He has his ways. Er…is there something wrong?"

"Well...it's just...he's done something for me that he shouldn't have and now I think he's in real trouble."

Remus quickly lost his smirk. "What are you talking about?"

"He..." she took a deep breath. "He lied for me. And now he's surely going to be expelled."

"Wait. James..." sudden realization dawned on his features. "Did you two...the _library_?" His spectacles nearly fell off the edge of his nose. He ripped them off irately and waved his book about. "Are you crazy? How'd he convince you to get in that sort of trouble?"

"That's the thing," Lily blushed, embarrassed, "It was my idea."

"It was your idea to burn down the library?" He hissed incredulously.

"Of course not!" Lily sighed. "It was just...an accident. Look, I just need to find James so we can put things right."

"No, Lily." Remus stood abruptly. He grabbed her shoulder. "You can't do that, you'll be expelled."

"Remus, I have no choice!"

"You do. It may not be the right one, but...consider this," he said sternly. "James comes from a wealthy family. What could the school possibly do to a boy whose father pays a yearly lump sum to the school's fund?"

"It's the principle of the matter, Remus," Lily frowned. "I thought you would understand."

"I do," he sighed, "But...I'd rather not see you tossed out of school for some accident that you got caught up in with James, because I'm fairly positive he had a good hand in it too."

Lily sighed and removed Remus' hand from her shoulder with a gentle squeeze. "Thank you for the advice, but I have to own up to the consequences."

Remus watched her sadly as she climbed through the portrait hole.

Lily wandered through the corridors a bit, purposely taking the long route until at last she reached McGonagall's office door. There it stood, a bit more foreboding than she remembered. With a heavy sigh, she reached up to knock on the door when someone caught her wrist.

She was dragged backward unwillingly and shoved through the doorway of an empty classroom. Her back slammed against the chalkboard with a painful crack. "Ow..." she rubbed her head tenderly.

"Just _what_ do you think you're _doing_?" a voice hissed in the dark, coming from a large shape looming over her.

"_Lumos_," she muttered, pulling her wand from her pocket.

James was staring down at her angrily, still grasping her left arm that she'd raised to knock on the office door.

"James! Where have you been?"

"Never mind that. Just tell me _what_ you were thinking!" His hair was more disheveled than usual, and his eyes were dark with fury. "I did not risk my neck for you to come crawling back here and get yourself in trouble!"

"Yes, well while we're on that subject, _why_ did you confess to burning down the library?"

James glowered. "Lily, why can't you just accept it and keep your mouth _shut_ for once! Let me take the fall," he said, "The most they'll do is suspend me a few days. Look, my family has money in the school, and there's no way the school council is going to let me be expelled. No James, no Galleons for their Christmas bonuses."

Lily was shaking her head. "James...I can't. I'm sorry...it's just not the right thing to do."

"Then bugger the right thing for once! Lily!" He pleaded. "Please! Just...take it as my..." he choked on the word a bit, "_apology_ to you."

Lily wanted to laugh, but her nervous stomach wouldn't allow it. "That's sweet James, really, but I have to do this."

James looked distraught. "You'll be expelled."

Lily sighed inwardly. She was more than aware of that. Yes...she was. "I know." She gave him a weak smile before leaving the empty room.

She reached McGonagall's office door once more, and took a deep breath. She lifted her hand and knocked twice.


	14. Family Reunion Part I

**A/N: It's been slow going for me here, but as a special present to all my faithful readers, here are two brand new chapters! I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them! I'm on a roll!**

**Chapter Fourteen: Family Reunion Part I**

Tap. Tap.

Tap tap tap.

Lily swallowed hard and gripped the fabric of her skirt tightly in her fists, knuckles whitening.

TAP TAP TAP.

McGonagall adjusted her spectacles primly on the tip of her nose and cleared her throat. She let out a little sigh and turned to the window.

"Yes, good heavens, it's open!" she said.

Immediately the latch clicked and the frosted windows burst open, a dark brown hoot owl fluttering in and landing at the edge of McGonagall's desk. It held out its talons expectantly as she unraveled the scroll it was carrying, then sent it on its way into the night.

She cleared her throat again and turned back to Lily. "Well, Miss Evans," her lips were pursed tightly, "This is...unexpected. Indeed. And extremely disappointing, I must say..." her eyes softened sadly, "I expected far better of you."

Lily stared stonily down at her lap, cheeks flushed. "I'm...I'm so sorry."

"Yes. Well..." McGonagall stood and smoothed her hair, searching for words. "There are, unfortunately, courses of action that must be taken in such a situation. I'm afraid, Lily, that I've had to refer you to the Governing Board and..." She scanned the letter with her spectacles perched on the tip of her nose. "It appears they will be bringing up the topic of your punishment at the meeting tomorrow."

Lily nodded. "I completely understand."

"Well, you are to attend tomorrow at three where they will reach a verdict." She traveled around the desk and held the door open for Lily who walked like a dead man toward it.

Lily was about to cross the threshold when McGonagall cleared her throat one last time. "In the meantime, Miss Evans," she said with a stony face, "You will be relinquished of your prefect title and duties." She held out her hand.

Wide-eyed, Lily stared at her open palm. With a sigh, she unpinned her prefect badge and handed it over. As she did so, she watched the tiny delicate inscription of _Lily Evans_ fade to a blank slate.

The door shut behind her with a click.

This had to be, officially, the worst day of Lily Evans' life. How could she let herself travel down this path? What had come of sweet, innocent, intelligent, and proper Lily Evans? She took a deep breath and scrolled through the pages of _Detoxify, De-stress, and Don't Explode- Literally- for the Modern Witch_ in her mind and thought of "The Three A's." What was it? "Absorb, Appreciate, and Accept. Remember, life is a beautiful thing."

She breathed in and out slowly...absorbing the icy cold emptiness of the hallway. She was having a bit of trouble appreciating that at the moment. In fact, life was not a very beautiful thing at the moment- not at all, really. She bloody hated hers!

Oh, Melinda was right. The book was completely useless. Damn it all. If there was any time she needed a friend, it was most surely this moment. She wished Melinda were there...

Suddenly, as she plodded down the chilled stony corridors of the castle, Lily Evans felt quite unabashedly..._lonely_.

---

Lily spent the night lying awake, thinking of a way to properly tell her parents that she would be coming home for the holidays rather permanently. Each time she composed the letter in her head, she had to fight off the urge to cry. There was no justifiable reason, because she had, after all, brought this upon herself.

The next morning she slept in, quite set on not attending class since there was really no point. She was exhausted and even slept through Charlotte complaining loudly in a nails-on-chalkboard voice about her curl coaxing hair serum.

In fact, it wasn't until Lily felt the soft feathers of her owl brushing against her cheek and under her nose that she finally awoke. "Ugh...Rue! Stop that-"

Lily's eyes burst open to find a pair of gray ones staring back.

"AUGH!" Lily scrambled upright, covering herself with her sheets. "How the bloody hell did you get in here?"

Sirius grinned at her, holding up a feather quill. "James is right. You are too much fun, Lily."

"I repeat-_how_-"

"Please, I'm Sirius Black!" he swatted the air dismissively. "And I'm kidnapping you, by the way."

"Oh, are you now?" Lily sunk back into bed and buried her face in her pillow. "I'm going to count to three, and when I open my eyes, you will be gone. One- two-"

"I'm here for James," he said casually. "He told me to fetch you and…ta-da!" Sirius grinned delightedly.

Lily lifted her head. "Sirius, I have to attend a Governing Board meeting in…" she glanced at her clock and grimaced, "an hour to determine my fate at this school. I've slept this long?"

"Yes. You're quite lazy. Now get up." Sirius was perusing the room, apparently not the least bit concerned about Lily's looming expulsion. He was examining one of Lily's unmentionables.

"Put that down!" she gasped, leaping out of bed and tearing it out of his hands. "You letch! Don't you have class this morning?"

Sirius shrugged and moved on to some other trinkets lying about. "What are you going to do about it? I don't see that shiny badge of yours around here anymore."

"Good point. But that doesn't mean I have to come with you." Lily frowned at him. He had just picked up something off the floor and popped it into his mouth. "I'm going to the bathroom to dress. When I come out, you'd better be gone!"

Sirius grimaced and spit the unidentified object back out into his hand. He waved Lily off. "Well that's not going to happen, so hurry up in there."

Lily closed the door and groaned. This was getting ridiculous. Exactly how much was James going to interfere? And more importantly, what was he planning that he couldn't have come to get her himself? She stared idly at herself in the mirror a moment and rubbed the bags beneath her eyes. Bugger. Well, a ponytail was really the best she could do...Though it didn't really matter. How she looked in front of the school Governors wasn't going to change the fact that she burned down the bloody library.

When Lily emerged again, Sirius was lounging on her bed, perusing a copy of _Witch Weekly_.

"Looking, er, fab, love." He tossed the magazine aside and stood up. "Er...where are you going?"

She reached for the doorknob. "To get some lunch."

He snatched her cloak off the end of her bed and jumped in front of her. "No, 'fraid not. Put this on."

"Sirius, please. This is ridiculous, now move aside." Lily tried to shuffle around him, but he kept blocking her. "Black! Out of my way!" Lily made to shove him aside, but the instant she lifted her arms, he snaked a hand around her waist and tossed her over his shoulder.

"Sorry, love. I'm acting on strict orders from the best mate." With that, and Lily shrieking loudly in his ear, he tossed James' Invisibility Cloak over them and in a flash, disappeared.

---

James peered up from his table at the Hog's Head and frowned. "There you are. What took you so bloody long?"

Sirius ignored him and turned to the bar where a grouchy old man was scouring a dirty glass. "'Lo, Aberforth!" Sirius slapped a hand on the counter, sending a puff of dust into the air.

The barkeep grunted and continued scrubbing the mug in his hand.

Lily was dropped to the floor in a daze, but when she spotted James, her eyes immediately became slits. She stomped across the empty tavern and slammed her open palms on the surface of the table in front of him. His drink wobbled and sloshed a bit. "Just _what_ do you bloody think you're _doing_, Potter?"

James grinned. "Lily, relax. I have a plan."

She leaned in with a dangerous look in her eye and thunked him on the forehead.

"Ow!"

"James Potter, you are going to take me back to my bed in Gryffindor Tower this instant or I'll- I'll-"

"You'll what?" he leaned gingerly on his elbow. "Give me a detention?"

Lily's mouth was agape, at a loss for words.

"That's what I thought." James stood up and slung his arm around her shoulder roughly. "Now, Lils darling, you completely disobeyed me the first time and turned yourself in to McGonagall. Well. I'm not going to allow that."

"I'm sorry James," Lily grimaced, tugging free of James' grasp, "I'm afraid you can't turn back time."

"Perhaps not. But I can change the future."

Lily folded her arms. "And how do you plan on doing that?" She held out a demonstrative hand. "By holding me for ransom in a whiskey-sodden shack?"

Sirius plopped down at the table next to Lily, dropping a foaming mug of something that looked suspiciously unlike Butterbeer onto the chipped wood surface. "Lily, have a seat." He yanked her cloak so that she plopped unwillingly into the chair beside him.

Lily frowned at something sticky and green on the floor beneath her feet.

James began pacing back and forth in front of her, while Sirius snaked an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in tight. "It's very simple, really. We're going to Floo you straight to the hearing so the Governing Board won't have a chance to send their own goons to bring you in."

Lily looked offended. "They were going to _escort _me? They think I won't show up of my own accord?"

Sirius shrugged. "You're a right felon now, aren't you?"

Lily frowned, but he had a point. She was a delinquent. In their eyes, what was stopping her from ditching the thing?

"Right…" James continued, face suddenly flushed, "And I frankly hated the thought of them…_manhandling_ you like a criminal- which you aren't!"

Lily felt a tug at the corner of her mouth. Was it possible he actually cared about her well-being? Regardless, she was still uncertain of this little "plan," because so far, all she'd seen was the inside of a smelly tavern and was most definitely doing something against the rules.

"Anyway," James brushed away his anger, the scowl becoming a self-satisfied grin. "I've got you a way out."

Lily just glared at him. "This is ridiculous. I'm leaving. I'm not going to let your little antics get me into anymore trouble."

Sirius leapt out of his chair and blocked her path. "Whoa, whoa. I'm afraid you can't do that, love."

James nudged Sirius out of the way and placed his hands on Lily's shoulders. "Lily, please. Just give me a chance…I…I know I've been a complete prat, but you've _got_ to trust me on this one. I've been in far worse situations, and there is one thing that always, _always_ gets me out of it. Just let me help you."

Frowning, Lily stared James down. She searched his hazel eyes for any flicker of mischief or malice…but she found none. What she did see, though it shocked her to admit, was genuine concern.

Lily sighed. "All right. Let's go."

James grinned and took Lily's hand, dragging her over behind the bar. "Aberforth- we'll take that Floo powder now."

They were following the grumbling old man up a set of stairs when Lily noticed Sirius wasn't with them. "Aren't you coming?"

He took another swig from his glass and winked. "No, love. I've got to get to class."

When they arrived at the place of the meeting- a dimly let, yet richly decorated round room lined with several doors- they were already late. A wizard directed them through one of the doors, and Lily took a deep breath. James took her hand gently and ushered her inside.

Immediately, all eyes turned on them. Lily blushed.

The room was small, but crammed full of chairs for spectators, of which there were only a few, and at the head was a long, curved table lined with several chairs, each filled with a witch or wizard robed in black and silver.

"Ah," grimaced a slender old man with a pinched face, "She arrives. At _last_."

Lily felt her cheeks flush even deeper.

James frowned. "Donahue. Looking pasty, as always."

The old man fumed and banged his gavel, turning to the other witches and wizards. "Shall we resume? Albertson. Gerald. If you wouldn't mind collecting the defendant in question?" He indicated to two rather large cloaked men in the corner.

They moved in on Lily, making to grab her, but James stepped in their way, pushing Lily behind him. "She'll sit with me for now, thanks."

The beefy men frowned with their fish lips and turned bewilderedly to Donahue for instruction.

Donahue looked as if he wanted to scream, but instead nodded curtly. Albertson and Gerald made their way back to their little corner and continued to look stern and brooding.

James took Lily's hand and sat her down beside him in the front row.

"While you were taking your precious time, Miss Evans," Donahue announced tersely, "The Board came to a decision."

Lily held her breath and squeezed James' hand unconsciously, her stomach twisting and turning.

An elderly woman stood and read gingerly from a piece of parchment, "It is the decision of the Esteemed Governing Board of the Howarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, that the offending student, Miss Lily Evans, be permanently expe-"

"I would highly advise going no further with that statement," a deep voice boomed from across the room.

Lily and James turned to see who had spoken. A tall, elderly man strode across the room, clutching a fistful of parchment. He slammed his hands down on the immaculately carved table and spread the parchment out before the Governors. He stood back, hands folded neatly behind him.

Donahue looked extra pale all of a sudden. "Why, Mr. Potter, I didn't realize we'd be having the pleasure of-"

Lily blanched as white as Donahue, turning to James with an indescribable expression. He simply watched his father intently, muttering under his breath, as if urging his father on.

"Believe me, there is no pleasure on my part," Mr. Potter interrupted, nodding his head in the direction of his son. "I've been informed by my son of the ill fate of his friend Miss Evans. I do believe my son came to you with the explicit claim that it was _he_ who had a hand in the aforementioned crime, did he not?"

"He did, but-" Donahue wiped the sweat from his brow.

"And I do appreciate your sincere certainty that my son is innocent in the matter, however, in doing so you call my son a liar."

Donahue looked a tad peeved. "With all due respect, Mr. Potter-"

"I'm afraid you've directed your respect to the wrong fellow. I'll have you look over these student records here, though I'm _sure_ you have already. But allow me to refresh your memories. Lily Evans was not only a prefect, but top of her class with an outstandingly perfect record." Mr. Potter's graying hair gave him a very regal air as he began pacing, his eggplant velvet robes swishing behind him. "That is, until she became acquainted with my son."

The Governors exchanged glances.

"As much as I love him, my son does have his faults, as we can all agree upon comparing their records. I think it's clear the amount of coercion that likely went on." Mr. Potter stopped pacing, and turned to directly face the Governors. "I'm certain that my son will be very willing to join Miss Evans in serving on the student-formed committee to help with the restoration of the tarnished library property, just as I will be more than willing to make a sizeable donation to more than cover the repairs of the library. And I'm sure that we can all come to the agreement that this was simply a terrible, terrible accident, regrettable to both parties." His hazel eyes twinkled, and made him appear half his age.

Donahue looked visibly shaken, but satisfied. "Well then, you are, of course, one of Hogwarts' greatest benefactors." He banged the gavel. "Upon acceptance of a generous donation to cover repair costs, Miss Evans will be pardoned of her crime."

Lily's heart seized up. She looked tearfully to James who was grinning, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Lily glanced down and realized she was still holding James' hand, probably soaking him with sweat. But she didn't care. She leapt out of her chair and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

"_Thank you_," she whispered, squeezing him tight.

James smiled and pulled her gently off of him, adjusting his robes. "No problem." But his smile froze when he locked eyes with his father who was making his way back down the short aisle to the doorway.

Lily stopped Mr. Potter, touching his sleeve lightly. "Sir, I can't begin to thank you enough. Whatever can I do to repay you?"

James' father stared down at her stolidly. "No need to worry, child." He glanced at James. "You've done plenty." He shunned her and turned to his son. "Your mother and I will be waiting for you at home."

With that, Mr. Potter disappeared through the door.

"What on earth was that about?" Lily stared after him.

"Don't mind him," James scowled. "See? Didn't I tell you it would be alright?"

"Yes…but…now I feel as if I'm entirely indebted to your family!" Lily fretted, pale from nerves. "What will I do? You're father must be donating an exorbitant amount to keep me in school."

"Relax," James waved it off. "It's no big deal. You don't owe him anything. I do."

Lily frowned. "What do you mean?"

James shrugged. "Never mind. Let's get you back to Hogwarts."

"All right…" Lily said tentatively, "but only if you let me buy you a Butterbeer on the way." She nudged him playfully in the side.

James grinned. "I suppose I can accept that offer."


	15. Family Reunion Part II

**Chapter Fifteen: Family Reunion Part II**

Lily wasn't sure where to contact Melinda, but she desperately wished she could to tell her the good news. Unfortunately, it had been an entire week since she left and Lily hadn't received a single word. She was getting worried about her.

But there were other things to worry for as well. For example, it was Hogsmeade weekend, and Lily's family was coming for an unfortunate visit. Though with the library incident behind her, Lily was relieved to say, there was still the issue of her debt to be concerned with. She'd already made arrangements with the shop owner, along with the special permission of Dumbledore, to work off her debt on weekends. Of course, the way she was going, it was going to take a century and a half to pay it all off.

The biggest problem, however, was the fact that Lily's mum didn't exactly know of her massive debt, and she definitely didn't intend on telling her. Her record was pretty much tarnished at school, but that didn't mean it had to be so at home. Unfortunately, this meant that she had to work at Alexandria's Fine Fittings during the same hour her family was meeting her at the Three Broomsticks. Predicament? Yes. Solution? She was, er, working on that.

Well, she did have some semblance of a plan, but it wasn't exactly a plan she was looking forward to executing. She was going to have to force herself to be extra nice.

"James?" Lily approached him tentatively. He was sitting with Remus, Sirius, and Peter, eating his lunch and guffawing at something Sirius had just said.

He turned when he heard her voice and smirked. "Lils. What brings you to the dodgy end?"

"Ha ha ha ha!" She forced a giggle. "That's so funny! Ha ha!"

The four of them just stared at her.

"Er…Lily? Are you feeling all right?" James frowned.

"Yes, I'm fine…" she cleared her throat. Perhaps that was overkill. "Could…I talk to you for a moment?"

Sirius nudged Remus, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Lily chose to ignore this, and waited for James to follow her out of the Great Hall.

"What is it?" He was still frowning. "Is everything all right?"

"Of course!" Lily waved a hand dismissively. "Er…well, sort of. I need to ask you a favor."

As soon as she said the word, a slow smirk began to creep across James' features, and his eyes began twinkling mischievously. He sunk back against the wall, leaning casually and giving her an expectant look. "Yes?"

"You know what?" Lily let out a short, nervous little laugh. "Never mind. This is silly." She was just turning away when James latched onto her arm, pulling her toward him.

"No, no, no, Lils," he stared down at her playfully. "You finish what you started."

Lily stared back at him, gulping down the nervous lump in her throat. "I just…er…"

His hazel eyes glittered. "Go on." He was inching her closer to him, until she could feel the warmth of his body nearly pressed against hers.

"I…" she stared down at her shoe. "My mum and sister are coming to Hogsmeade this weekend, and, well…" she forced herself to meet his gaze. "I need you to meet with them."

James laughed. "Well, Lily, I didn't realize we were that serious! You want me to meet the family this soon?"

Lily yanked her arm from his grasp. "_We_ are not anything. I just…I've got to work."

James laughed again. "Working? Where could you possibly be working? You're a student!"

She blushed. "You know I have that _debt_," she mumbled the word 'debt.' "I have to pay it off somehow, so I made arrangements to work there on the weekends-"

"But this weekend your mum is dropping by and you don't have the heart to tell her," James finished.

"Exactly."

"So, what, you need me to distract her?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well…for lack of a better phrase, yes," she shrugged. "Please, James. I know you've already helped me enough, but…I just…I really need you to do this for me. Then I promise I'll never ask anything of you again." She eyed him pleadingly.

He tilted his head. "All right. I'll do it."

"…Really?" Lily gaped. "No strings attached?"

"Right-o." James yawned and loosened his tie. "I'm going to get back to my lunch."

"Okay…great!" Lily said excitedly. "Thank you, James! Really, you're a lifesaver."

"I know," he smirked, waltzing back through the double doors. "I'm bloody fabulous."

Lily was grinning to herself all the way back to Gryffindor Tower. She was just turned the corner to the portrait of the Fat Lady when she heard a muffled shriek.

She hesitated and held her breath. Was she hearing things? A soft thud came from further down the corridor. Lily swallowed hard and pulled out her wand.

"No!" she heard a female voice say. "Give it back!"

"It's mine now. You don't deserve it," an unidentifiable voice replied roughly.

Lily rounded the corner, wand pointed at the two figures hidden in a dark alcove. "What's going on?"

A third-year blonde girl and an older boy, perhaps fifth-year, stared fearfully back at Lily. The boy, wearing Ravenclaw robes, she noticed, took off running.

"Stop!" Lily cried after him.

He ignored her and she blasted him with a mild charm that tugged at the heels of his feet and sent him tumbling. He landed hard on the ground with a crack, and whatever he'd been clutching tightly to his chest hit the floor and shattered into hundreds of glittering pieces.

"No!" cried the girl. She ran towards it and dropped to her knees, cradling a few of the shimmering shards.

Lily stood over the boy, wand pointed at him. He rolled over to reveal handsome features and shining blue eyes. He sat up, a bitter look reforming on his face. He saw the girl picking up the shards and scowled. "Better broken than with you."

The girl turned on him and shouted, "How could you?"

Lily decided it was time to interject. "What exactly is going on?"

"She doesn't deserve it! It was our mothers and she never would have approved of her dating _that_ thing!"

Lily looked bewildered. "Thing? What thing?" She followed the boy's foul, indicative gaze back to the dark alcove.

There had been another person there, hidden in the shadows, and it was a wonder she hadn't noticed before, considering his size.

"Kenneth?" Lily gaped. "What are you doing here?"

He stared at his toes, cheeks flaming.

"Snogging my sister, that's what!" the boy yelled. "That filthy traitor."

Snogging? Wow, Lily never knew he had it in him. She shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you know who his parents are? Traitors! They betrayed Dumbledore for You-Know-Who! Do you know what his parents did to our mum?" he spat. "Murdered her on the spot when she refused to admit she'd helped one of Dumbledore's men."

"Shh!" the blonde girl hissed. "You can't talk about things like that here!"

Lily looked to Kenneth. "What is he talking about?"

Kenneth was flaming red. "My parents would never do something like that!" But Lily could hear the hint of doubt in his wobbly voice.

The blonde girl moved to Kenneth's side and took his shaking hand. "It's okay. I know you're a good person, whatever your parents might be."

The boy stood up, shaking with fury. "I've had it. Do whatever you want. But don't expect dad to let him set foot in our house. _Ever_."

Lily grabbed hold of the boy. "You," she shook him, "Go to Dumbledore. Now. And I'll know if you make it there or not, so no skiving off." She shoved him lightly in the right direction.

The boy stomped past his sister and Kenneth, shooting them both nasty glares.

Kenneth and the girl stood there, petrified. "I can't believe him," she spat, "he's always like this. And now look what he's done…"

Lily crouched down and examined the pieces. Upon closer inspection, she could see that whatever the object was, it had been comprised of polished shell, and was very delicate. Pulling out her wand, she concentrated very hard and muttered, "_Reparo_."

Amazingly, the pieces gently worked themselves back together to form a delicate little box with an inscription in some other language.

The girl gasped. "Thank you! How did you manage that with such a simple spell?" She took the delicate box from Lily, amazed.

"Just a bit more concentration," she smiled. "It's not always in the words, but rather the mind," she said informatively.

Kenneth lumbered forward and nodded to Lily. "Er…thanks, Lily. I guess being a nark can come in handy sometimes."

Lily frowned. "I suppose it can."

"I'm Ingrid," the girl jutted out her hand to Lily. "Ingrid Lofgren."

Lily shook it with a smile. "Wait," she hesitated, "Lofgren…like Mila?"

She nodded. "She's my sister. And that," she jerked her head in the direction her brother had sped off, "was my brother Dirk. And thank you again."

"It's no problem," Lily said kindly. "You two be…careful."

They nodded and wandered off down the hall.

Lily pondered a bit. Being cooped up in Hogwarts sometimes kept her in a bubble. She often forgot the dark times they were in. The year had been quite mild, however. There was an uprising a few years ago, but the Ministry had quelled it, and things were appearing to simmer down a bit. Yet there was still disquiet among many. Lily shook the thought away and instead marveled about the coincidence.

Small school, she thought to herself as she entered the portrait hole. It was too bad Mila wasn't more like Ingrid, otherwise they might actually have gotten along. This, of course, only depressed Lily further. It served to remind her exactly how friendless she truly was.

It was that moment that she bumped into a small, fumbling person. "Madeline!" Lily cried. "Where have you been?"

And with her, unfortunately, were Charlotte and her posse. Madeline blushed and readjusted her spectacles.

"Lily," Charlotte simpered, "How lovely to see your face again. I thought you were expelled."

"Well, I wasn't," Lily smiled tersely back.

Charlotte made no effort to mask her disappointment. "Well, that's a shame." But Lily noticed Charlotte was looking a bit more haggard than usual. Well, as in she was wearing less eye makeup and her clothes looked a tad rumpled.

They pushed past Lily roughly, Florence and Helen giving her good old fashioned stink eye on the way out. Madeline, however, hung back ever so briefly, giving Lily a shy smile. "I'm glad you're still here," she whispered.

"Madeline!" Charlotte shouted, and she scurried off.

The portrait hole shut, and Lily smiled to herself. Perhaps things weren't going to be so bad after all.

---

At least, that's what she had been trying to tell herself all morning as she sorted through bins of dress robes, pricking her fingers (and face- ouch) on various sizes of pins, and dealing with Galleons-to-blow customers who couldn't decided on periwinkle or cornflower and sent her back and forth twenty-three times until finally deciding on both.

All the while, Lily kept taking bathroom breaks. Hilda, her boss with glittering gem-studded nails, assumed Lily had some sort of bladder problem, and suggested on the fourth run in a half hour that she see a Healer as soon as possible.

But what she was really doing, of course, was desperately running between her job and her mum.

Lily burst through the door of the Three Broomsticks for the fourth time, looking even more haggard. She whipped the name badge of her chest, nearly forgetting, and stumbled back over to her mum and sister. Her mother, looking radiant, beamed at Lily.

"It is just so wonderful here!" she glanced excitedly around the crowded tavern.

Petunia simply looked bored. "You should seriously get your bladder checked out," she frowned. "This is like the fourth time you've gone to the loo."

"Now, Petunia," her mum chimed in, "they don't call them 'loos' here in the Wizarding World. Er, do they, darling?" Her mum looked at Lily expectantly.

But Lily was distracted. She was staring out the window nervously. Where the hell was James? He was already twenty minutes late. It was getting exceedingly difficult to balance her time.

"Darling?" her mum prodded.

"Huh? Oh, sure they do."

"God, Mum," Petunia groaned, "Can't you see what this stupid school is doing to her? She's like a zombie or something…it's weird."

"Hush. Be polite." Her mother scolded. "Oh! Look at that- is that a broomstick? Oh lovely! I suppose it sweeps the floor itself, then?"

"No, mum, actually-"

"They're used for flying," came a voice from behind Lily. "I should know. I ride them day in, day out."

Lily whirled around. "James!" she sighed with relief.

He grinned.

Wow. She had to hand it to him- he looked sharp. His tie was adjusted properly, his hair was (reasonably) combed, and it appeared he'd actually put on a clean shirt.

Her mother stood to shake James' hand. "And who is _this_?" she gave Lily a little wink. "My, he's so handsome."

"I'm James Potter," he replied with a winning grin and a wink at Petunia who blushed sincerely. "Lily's boyfriend."

Lily's jaw hit the floor. His _what_?

Her mother looked shocked as well. "Well! I had no idea! Lily, how could you keep such a charming young man hidden?"

"But-" Lily glared, but James cut her off.

"Lils, _Dearest_," he took her by the hand, lacing his fingers through hers and swinging her arm slightly for good measure, "why don't you go help Peter with that potion real quick. I'll keep your mum and sister company while you're gone."

"No-wait-I-" Lily stammered.

"Really, Lily, it's fine! Go take care of what you need to. Don't let your old mummy get in your way! I'll just chat with James, here."

James turned to Lily. His teeth sparkled. "Yes, Lily. Your mother and I will have a little _chat_."

"But-"

"Don't dawdle now," he said, planting a big wet kiss on Lily's cheek. She flushed from head to toe- with fury- as he shoved her out the door.

Great. Lily began grinding her teeth, trying to get a glimpse of her mother and sister with James, but it was too crowded. She grunted angrily and ran back to Alexandria's.

Hilda kept shouting at her to be gentler with the merchandise, but Lily was finding it a bit difficult to keep calm. What the bloody hell was she thinking, asking JAMES POTTER to keep her Petunia and her mother company! Merlin knew what else he was telling them at that very moment. And, excuse her, but _her boyfriend_? She thought not! Throwing the glittery purple robe she was holding back into a bin, she slipped out the side door. Another twenty minutes has already gone by, and she was dreading to know what else James had opened his big fat mouth about.

She scurried down the cobblestone streets and burst through the door of the Broomsticks. There they were, laughing gaily at something or other, probably at Lily's expense, knowing James. She plastered a grin on her face and stumbled through the crowd over to their table. She plopped down next to James, making a point to grind her heel into his left foot.

He grimaced and stared at her hard through gritted teeth. "Hello, _Lils_. I was just telling Annabelle and Petunia here about out first date. You know. The one in the library."

"Sounds boring," Petunia frowned into her warm mug of Butterbeer one last time before pushing it gingerly away.

"Oh no. It was _very_ exciting," he smiled, never taking his eyes off Lily.

"Oh, I would love to hear about it!" her mother exclaimed.

"No!" Lily exclaimed. "Really…it's not that great of a story, I-"

"That's not true," James eyed Lily's shirt strangely, but Lily didn't seem to notice. "Thinking about it just makes me fall in love with her all over again!"

Lily gaped and was fighting off the urge to slap him when he leaned in, taking advantage of her open mouth, and kissed her. She felt his hand grasp her shirt and tug. When he let her go, his eyes lingered on hers. Lily blinked out of her daze, and glanced down at her lap to see James holding her Alexandria's nametag. She looked back at him with a mix of surprise and gratitude.

"Aw…how sweet!" Lily's mother clasped her hands and sighed. "You two are just adorable. Your father will be thrilled, Lily."

Lily blushed, avoiding James' gaze.

Suddenly her mother stood. "Well, Petunia and I must be going. I know you're a busy girl, but hopefully at Christmas we'll be able to spend more time together. All five of us."

Lily nodded and smiled. Then blanched. Wait. What? "Er…_five_ of us?"

"Yeah," James chimed in, "Annabelle here invited me to your Christmas dinner this year! Isn't that kind of her?"

"What?" Lily gaped.

"I think it will be lovely," Annabelle smiled warmly, "I just know Henry will adore James. They're so much alike!"

Lily very much doubted the likeness between conniving James and her clumsy father, but there were deeper concerns on her mind at the moment, like, say, James Potter coming to her _home_ on Christmas.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Oh, Lils, don't be shy!" James grinned, his eyes flickering mischievously.

"But," she gritted her teeth, "don't you have _other_ plans? With your own family?"

"Nah," James brushed the thought away with a hand, "They're traveling to France this year to visit my cousin. We'll be celebrating the week before. You can meet my parents then."

"Oh how lovely!" Annabelle simpered. "That will be just fine. I'm sure she'll make a sparkling impression. She always does." She pinched Lily's cheek.

"Mum…" Lily grimaced. "I just don't-"

"No. I won't hear anything different. It won't be any trouble," Annabelle said firmly. "Now, my darling, you be good. James, dear, keep my daughter safe. It was a pleasure meeting you."

"The pleasure was all mine, Annabelle," he leaned in and kissed her hand gracefully. She tittered and blushed. Petunia had to tug on her sleeve to get her going.

"Come _on_, Mum." She was already halfway out the door, eyeing a crowd of students suspiciously.

"Well goodbye then!" she hugged Lily tight and then gave James a peck on the cheek. "We'll be seeing you." She winked, and the two of them were off.

"Well," James said satisfactorily, loosening his tie. "That went well."

Lily immediately turned on him, her eyes icy and her finger jabbing him violently in the chest. "You are _not_ coming for Christmas. No. Way."

James shrugged. "I can't turn Annabelle down now. It would be rude."

Lily backed James up to a wall. "Stop calling my mum that! James, you cannot show up at Christmas!"

"Why not?" he pouted, but his twinkling eyes betrayed him.

"You just-just- can't! You lied to my mum! We are _not_ dating! What else did you tell her?"

"That," he said primly, "is between Annabelle and I."

"Oh don't give me that crap," Lily growled, jabbing him again with her finger. "And I am most certainly _not_ coming with you to your Christmas."

James shook his head. "You're mother is such a sweet woman too…It would be a shame."

"What would be a shame?" Lily narrowed her eyes.

"Well…she gave me her address. It would be terrible if my wrist accidentally slipped and she found out about your debt to Alexandria's."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "You _wouldn't_."

James shrugged. "People do strange things when they're in love." He pointed at the clock. "You'd better hurry back to work, Lils, darling. Tick-tock."

He laughed and sauntered off, leaving Lily shaking with fury. She slapped her nametag back on and stormed out the door.


	16. The Truth

**Chapter Sixteen: The Truth**

"It doesn't matter anyway."

"But, Charlotte-"

"I'm not having this conversation anymore, Helen." Charlotte primly opened the door of the bathroom through which Lily couldn't help overhearing. She froze when she spotted Lily reading a textbook in bed. "When did you get in?" She snarled.

"I've been here all morning," Lily said dryly.

Helen bounded out behind Charlotte and gave Lily a hideous look. "Are you wearing _that_ to the Yule Ball?" She gasped at the light brown faded bundle of fabric hanging off one of her bedposts.

Lily sighed. "Yes. I wouldn't go if I had the choice, but I'm a prefect, so…"

Helen bit her lip. "That's tragic."

Charlotte shook the curls from her eyes with a laugh. "There is no way you'll find a date with _that_. Well…I'm sure you'll find one, but keeping him with you- that's another story."

"Thank you, Charlotte, I will keep that in mind." Lily went back to her book.

"I'm going down for breakfast. Are you coming, Helen?" Charlotte prodded. Helen was still gazing in awe at the hideousness of Lily's dress.

"I thought you were going shopping with your father today?" Helen said mindlessly.

Charlotte's plump lips turned down at the edges. "Well…Daddy is very busy today, so we had to…reschedule."

"Oh…right." Helen gulped as if she realized she'd just made some horrific error and would pay for it later.

Charlotte glared. "_Coming_?"

Helen scurried out the door, not meeting her eye.

Lily watched them leave, and eyeballed the closed door bewilderedly. Strange. But Charlotte did have the ticket, she thought, as her stomach began to rumble. Lily marked her page and headed down for some food.

Her thoughts drifted to the Yule Ball. She wasn't sure who she was going to ask, since no one was going to ask her. Well…unless…

No. No, that wasn't going to happen.

…Was it?

Would James Potter ask her to the Yule Ball? Despite the fact that she was dreading his Christmas invitation to her home and wearing that hideous dress, of course, she found herself getting tiny butterflies in the pit of her stomach. After all, she'd only attended the Yule Ball once, and it was a horrid disaster. Her date actually tried to get up her skirt, and then started a rumor about the size of her knickers after she slapped him away! The nerve.

Lily hugged herself in the chilly hallway and dreamed about the dance, even letting her mind imagine one- only _one_- slow dance with James. It was all seeming pretty nice.

A strange scuffling noise stopped her in her tracks. She looked around, but the corridor appeared empty. She started on her way, but she heard it again. This time, Lily pulled out her wand. She hadn't forgotten the incident with Dirk and Ingrid Lofgren, and wondered if the whole thing could be happening again.

She followed the muffled noises and rounded the corner into a dimly lit corridor. She treaded lightly, holding her wand in a defensive stance.

Lily froze. It was James, but he wasn't alone. The girl he was with had a cascade of dark locks, and had him pressed against the side of a statue. His hands were around her waist, and he laced his fingers through her hair. Then they kissed.

Lily was speechless. Softly, as if she'd never been there, she crept backwards and flattened herself against the cool stonewall to catch her breath. Tears were stinging her eyes, but she brushed them away roughly. This was ridiculous. Why was she crying? And over James, of all people, after the way he treated her. She shook it off and strode back down the hall, her hands balled into fists.

It wasn't her business anyway what he did with other girls. She and James weren't together, after all. A tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away. She wasn't paying attention and she slammed straight into someone else.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Lily exclaimed, quickly wiping the last of her tears. "Are you oka- oh."

Mila Lofgren was staring back at her sheepishly. Her hands were clasped primly in front of her, and she couldn't seem to look Lily in the eye. "Er…" she began. "Hi."

"Hello," Lily was hesitant.

Mila smoothed her long blonde hair nervously, and lifted her eyes to meet Lily's. They were a bright, resonating crystal blue, and they stood out strongly against the pale palette of her skin and faded eyebrows. "I heard what you did for Ingrid."

"Oh."

"And…I just wanted to apologize."

Lily held her breath.

"I shouldn't have acted the way I did…I just…I misjudged you." She looked at Lily expectantly.

"I…of course it's okay," Lily shook her head. "I just hope we can be friends."

Mila smiled. "Good. I'm glad. I can be a real bitch sometimes."

Lily shrugged, and suddenly felt as if a giant weight had been lifted. "Well, can't we all?"

They laughed together in the halls, washing their nerves away.

"So…where are you headed?" Mila asked.

"Breakfast…want to join me?"

Mila grinned. "I'm starved."

---

It turned out that Lily had more in common with Mila than she'd ever expected. Despite the icy look, she was a warm, giggly person. In fact, so giggly that they spent the entire breakfast time laughing about things that really weren't all that funny unless you had the giggle bug.

They finally fell silent, Lily crunching on a piece of toast. She set it down mid-bite and gazed at the double doors. James has just wandered in, his hair extra disheveled and an indescribable look on his face. He caught Lily's gaze and nodded to her with a grin. She immediately flushed and turned away.

Mila eyed her curiously. "Are you and James…together?"

"What?" Lily practically shouted. "No! No. Of course not."

"Lily," Mila stared at her, "Everyone can tell he's got it bad for you."

"Well they're wrong," Lily grumbled. They didn't know how wrong.

Mila shook her head. "I don't know. I mean I've seen the way he looks at you."

"Well it's not true!" Lily heard herself shouting, her knife clattering loudly on her plate.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Mila said nervously. "I didn't mean to-"

"No," Lily felt herself flush. She took a deep breath and tried to bite back the prickly feeling rising in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." She stared down at the palms of her hands.

Mila looked genuinely concerned. "I know we don't really know each other that well, and I don't want to pry, but, did something…happen?"

Lily heaved a sigh. "He's just…not who I thought he was. He's good at playing games." She gave Mila a forced smile.

Mila raised her eyebrows, but didn't probe any further.

They parted ways in the hall, Mila heading to Ravenclaw and Lily to Gryffindor Tower. Lily was halfway there when she spotted James. There he was, leaning against a pillar looking damnably blasé, clearly waiting for her. Her stomach lurched. He was, of course, the last person she was keen on seeing at the moment.

"There you are," he said. "What, are you avoiding me now?"

Lily put her head down and pushed past him, but he caught her arm and spun her around. "Hello? I'm talking to you."

"James, just leave me-" Lily began, but was interrupted by a shrill voice.

"Jaaamsiiieeee!" Charlotte was tottering down the hall, her curls bouncing. "James, wait!"

He sighed at the sight of her and let go of Lily's arm. Charlotte ignored her presence and looked lovingly into James' eyes. "I need to ask you something."

"What?"

She puckered a bit and tipped her head. Just as Helen and Florence caught up, panting behind her, she said, "You have the honor of taking me to the Yule Ball this year."

"That was a question?" James frowned.

Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. "Well you were taking so long to ask, I thought I'd just give you my answer now!"

"No."

Charlotte blinked. "What?" She stared at him blankly. "Why?"

"It doesn't matter, Charlotte," he growled, "Because I already _have_ a date."

Charlotte looked positively ravaged as she gasped, "_What_?" She shot Lily a sudden accusing glare. "You mean, with _her_?"

Helen and Florence looked as if they might pass out. "The horror!" They cried in unison.

Lily glared back. "No, it _isn't_ me. Is it, James?"

James glowered at her. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

Lily bit her cheek. "Fine. If that's how we're going to play it."

"Lily," James leaned in dangerously close, "That's how it's been played from the beginning...hasn't it?"

Charlotte suddenly felt very uncomfortable. To salvage the remains of her pride, she shot James a withering glare before grabbing the wrists of Florence and Helen and whisking around the corner.

Lily kept her eyes settled steadfastly on James'. The intensity was unwavering. She took a step closer so that the fronts of their robes brushed ever so lightly together.

Something wavered momentarily in Lily's eyes as she asked softly, "Who is she, James?"

James felt his heart seize up unexpectedly. "I- she..."

"Never mind," Lily shook her head and there were suddenly several paces of distance between them. She was already making her way down the corridor. "Forget I asked. Forget...everything..." she trailed off, turning away from him.

James didn't follow.

---

Groaning, Lily awoke the next morning with a throbbing headache. She'd barely slept a wink, having spent the night brooding over James and his mystery woman. Regardless, she forced herself out of bed. She had class to attend, and stewing over a boy was not going to get her an 'O' in Advanced Potions.

After a quick shower and a careless ponytail, Lily dragged herself to class, skipping breakfast. Running into James was the last thing she wanted right now, and he was bound to be either stuffing his face with toast and jam or raven-haired girl. He could take his pick, really.

"Lily!" she heard a voice coming from behind her. She was relieved to see Mila's smiling face when she turned.

"Morning…"

"You don't look so good," Mila tilted her head. "Look…I've been thinking. James must have…done something to upset you. So what better way to make yourself feel better than to get some revenge?"

Lily frowned. "Mila, I don't know…" All she really wanted was to crawl back in bed and forget she'd ever met James Potter.

"There's only one way to drive a guy mad," she smirked, taking Lily's hand. "_Jealousy_."

---

With a bit of blush and some lash curler, Lily didn't clean up so bad. Her auburn hair was down and tousled, with thick, face-framing curls. She peered back at herself in the mirror and licked her lips. Well…here goes nothing, she thought to herself. Climbing delicately down the stairs from the girls' dormitory, being careful not to trip and fall flat on her face in her borrowed heels, Lily made her way into the Common Room.

She received more than a few stares. She blushed. Mila had hiked up Lily's skirt more than necessary and undid the first couple buttons of her blouse. She felt like a tramp, but Mila guaranteed it would get his attention, and Lily wasn't too picky at the moment. Perhaps it was a blatant signal of desperation, but there was still the off chance it might just work.

James was lounging by the fire with Sirius and Peter, scribbling something down on parchment. The firelight cast a warm flickering glow across his features, making them appear even more angular and strong.

Lily tottered over to where they sat, nearly tripping once, but she hoped no one noticed that. It was James whose eyes caught a glimpse of her first, and had to do a double take. Actually, the second take was of her chest, which simply made her blush deeper.

"Evans…?" James dropped what he was doing and sat up straight.

She ignored him and walked straight over to Sirius, who was propped comfortably on the couch. Peter choked on his water and wiped away the dribble making its way down his chin.

The firelight made her long, slender legs glow and her thick auburn locks burn brighter. Her back was to James, but she could feel his eyes boring into her.

"Lily…" Sirius' jaw dropped. He made no effort to hide the appreciative once-over his eyes gave her. "Lily," he said again with a grin.

Lily's lips curved seductively. "Sirius…I was wondering if I could ask you a question. Alone."

Sirius gave James a hesitant glance, but James was still gaping at Lily, so he took the opportunity to give her an emphatic nod.

James watched frozenly at them, now across the room chatting. A boiling rage began in the pit of his stomach and spread throughout his whole body. Just what the hell did she think she was doing? And with Sirius?

Lily tugged playfully on Sirius' tie and pressed herself against him. Sirius ran a hand through his hair said something that made her laugh. James felt his chest tighten as he saw Lily's lips distinctly form the words "Yule Ball." Sirius replied with another emphatic nod. With a coy smile, Lily flicked his tie and then headed back up to the girl's dormitory.

James was blind with rage, so when Sirius waltzed back up looking dazed, James hardly took notice. Peter just eyed him expectantly. "Well?" he asked.

Sirius grinned. "Purple," he said, his eyes starry.

"What?" Peter prodded.

"Her knickers. They're purple."

And that's when James punched him in the face.

---

"So?" Mila looked at Lily expectantly. "How did it go?"

"Well, I think," she said nervously, tugging her skirt back down. "Sirius said yes."

Mila gasped. "That's fabulous! Sirius Black is taking you to the Yule Ball! He's so pretty…" she said dreamily.

Lily smiled. "Yeah, but my dress isn't." She stared at the gloomy thing on her bedpost.

Mila opened her mouth, but it was Charlotte who cut her off.

"You're not wearing that to the Yule Ball," Charlotte said matter-of-factly, storming across the room.

"Well I don't have much else to wear," Lily grumbled. "Do we really have to keep having this conversation?"

Charlotte stopped at the edge of Lily's bed where she and Mila sat. "Look," she took a deep breath and placed a hand on her hip. "As far as I can tell, we've both been wronged by James. And the only way to make sure he leaves his date, whoever the bitch may be, is to work together to make him jealous."

"I think Lily's doing a pretty good job of that so far," Mila grinned.

"I'm sorry…work…together? As in, you and me?" Lily stared.

"Well, why not? Four boobs are better than two, right?"

"Er…"

Mila sniggered but was silenced when Charlotte pulled out a large black bag. "You can borrow this."

Lily thought she was going to faint. Emerging gloriously from the bag was a set of satin emerald robes, trimmed with a creamy lace. She dropped it in a heap on Lily's bed as if it were a three-week-old _Daily Prophet_. "It's from two years ago. It will probably be a little tight on you, but Florence knows a good seamstress."

"Charlotte…" Lily gaped. "I- I don't know what to say."

"Yes, well…" she dismissed her with a wave of her manicured hand, but there was a small flicker of satisfaction on her face. "Just try not to sweat on it too much."

Lily grinned and bit her lip. "Thank you," she said, genuinely grateful.

This was going to be a ball to remember; Lily was going to make certain of that.

---

"What the hell was I supposed to say?" Sirius growled, pressing a cold, damp cloth to his eye. "She looked so bloody gorgeous…" his eyes shimmered dreamily again.

"'No' would have been advisable!" James roared, nursing his fist. "She's not just another one of your conquests, you know."

Sirius glared at him. "You think I don't know that?" He shook his head. "She's definitely something special."

Somehow that didn't comfort James any more. "…Just don't _do_ anything, all right?"

Sirius laughed. "Put yourself in a room with her all night and we'll see who does nothing. Sorry Prongs, but I can't promise anything."

"I'll put that other bloody eye out, Black!" James roared, clenching his fist.

"James," he said seriously. "Be realistic."

At Sirius' words, his face fell.

"You know that."

James sighed. He did know. He couldn't take Lily to the Yule Ball. "Just promise you'll treat her right, okay?"

Sirius shook his head knowingly. "Of course, mate. I promise."


	17. Yule Ball

**A/N: Just for the record, I want to say: Omg you all are so adorable. Every time I open my inbox and see a review, I get so excited. I have the BEST readers and I just want to thank you for being so cute and sweet!!! When I see how excited you are about something I wrote, I get all energized to keep going. Thank you thank you thank you and keep up the awesome reviews. **

**I know this chapter is a bit short, but bear with me, the next one is on its way!**

**Chapter Seventeen: Yule Ball**

The night was crisp and cool, but rain clouds were forming in the sky, and showers looked imminent. Lily was just glad to be inside. She huddled tighter under her blanket, turning her gaze from the window back to the beautiful gown draped lovingly over the end of her bed. Sirius was going to meet her soon, so she figured she'd better get dressed.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, but it didn't do all that much. "What am I thinking?" she mumbled to Rue who was perched happily on her desk chair. Lily was thrilled to note the surprise he'd left her right on top of her parchment stack.

The door burst open suddenly, Charlotte, Florence, and Helen scurrying inside. They ran past Lily, scrambling for the bathroom door. "I'm first!" Charlotte ripped at Florence's hair. "It's not like you can do anything with that mane anyway!"

Florence screeched and stumbled backwards. Helen took the opportunity to slip through the door and slam it shut.

Charlotte screamed in frustration and stamped her feet. "Just _hurry_, will you? David is meeting me in an hour!"

"Well you should have thought of that two hours ago, shouldn't you have?" Helen's voice carried through the door.

Charlotte looked mortally offended. Lily was surprised at the insubordination, but didn't think much more of it. Charlotte turned her cat eyes to Lily. "_Why_ are you not ready? Sirius is never going to sleep with you if you look like that!"

Lily scoffed. "I am _not_ sleeping with Black."

"Well, Lily," Charlotte said matter-of-factly with an air of annoyance, "You're going to have to make James jealous somehow, and the opportunity is, hello, standing right in front of you! Don't be stupid. Seize the day."

"I'm not seizing anything of Black's," Lily grumbled, gathering up her dress robes. It was clear she'd never make it into her own bathroom, so she was resorting to the prefect bathrooms where she would meet Mila.

Relieved to be out of her dormitory, Lily scuttled into the bathroom. Mila was waiting for her, elegantly draped in shimmering light blue silk. She looked amazing. Lily, however…

"Um…did you bathe this morning?" Mila frowned.

Lily glared. "Of course I did!" She dropped the black bag with her dress inside onto the floor and peered at her reflection. "AH!" She shrieked. Her hair was an electric frizz ball, and her eyes were red and puffy from tears and lack of sleep.

Mila took a steadying breath. "Okay. This will be fine…I'll just fix you right up."

Mila spent a good forty minutes just combing out Lily's ratted mane and slathering it with serum. With one final pat of powder to Lily's cheeks, Mila stepped back and sucked in her breath. "There," she smiled. "I think that'll do."

When she moved aside, Lily caught her own reflection and had to do a double take. "Is that _me_?" She looked like a porcelain doll, and once Mila had zipped her up into her sweeping gown, she felt like one too. It was a bit snug, and there were bits of her popping out all over. "Er…" she placed a hand over her chest. "You don't think it's a bit low?"

"Absolutely not. Your boobs look fantastic," Mila grinned. "James is going to die."

Lily stepped gingerly into a pair of satin crème shoes to match the trim of her dress, and took a deep breath. "Well…here goes nothing."

---

Though there was no swirling staircase entrance or parting of the crowd, Sirius' eyes glazed over just the same when he caught a glimpse of her. He grinned so handsomely that Lily blushed. He had brushed his shaggy black locks out of his face, and looked absolutely dapper in his suit, his gray eyes twinkling.

He tipped his head like a gentleman and offered her his hand. She took it gingerly, and he pulled her toward him, slipping his other hand around her waist.

"Lily…" he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. "You look…" he trailed off, at a loss for words.

She bit her lower lip and tried not to blush any deeper. She was probably already darker than a beet.

Sirius escorted her happily through the double doors, many of the girls giving her looks of mixed jealousy and admiration. Sirius didn't wait for the music to start. He took Lily's hand and spun her skillfully into his chest and began to dance. Immediately the chatter died away, and the band began to play.

Lily twirled and dipped and spun around the dance floor with her partner. Sirius was an amazing dancer, and she was really enjoying herself. Finally, a slow song made its debut, and Sirius grinned down at her, dancing with her like a true gentleman.

"Sirius…" she said, "I've had so much fun tonight. It's the best dance I've ever been to!"

Sirius grinned a bit sheepishly. "I'm glad. It's my aim to please you." He dropped a hand to the small of her back and pulled her closer. "But I think there's someone else here who might want more desperately to please you."

Lily followed Sirius' eyes across the room. Her heart sank. There was James, dancing just as closely with that dark-haired girl. She spun around, her thick dark locks tumbling down to her waist. Lily caught the girl's face and gasped. She knew that face- Edith Baldric, the Slytherin Head Girl. Lily's insides clenched. Edith was beautiful- very beautiful- and James was clearly admiring that. James laughed and spun her again, and they she began giggling about something.

Lily lifted her eyes back to Sirius. "I could care less what he wants."

"Really." He eyed her with a smirk. "All right then."

Lily laid her head against Sirius' chest and rocked to the music, trying to forget James and Edith and enjoy the night.

The next dance started up and Sirius spun her away from him once again, only this time, a different pair of hands caught her waist and latched on, twirling her about.

Lily glared. James had kindly cut in. What the bloody hell did he want?

"Having a good time?" he said tersely as they moved to the music.

"Quite," Lily responded, her voice equally tight. "You?"

James twirled her and brought her back into him hard, the front of her body slamming into his. "The _best_." His eyes were alight with malice.

"That's lovely, James," Lily said, shoving him away from her. "I hope Edith is wonderful company." With that, she stormed off across the room, forcing her way through the sea of dancers and swishing dress robes.

She was searching for Mila, but was having no luck. Instead, she made her way out into the halls toward the bathroom. She was staring at her reflection sullenly when she overheard two girls chattering. James' name popped up, and she lingered a moment, pretending to fiddle with her hair.

"-I know, aren't they a gorgeous couple?"

"So true. But can you believe it? James Potter and Edith Baldric- _engaged_! I mean-"

The girl continued talking, but Lily was no longer listening. Her head began to pound and her vision blurred as fresh tears sprung into her eyes. The girls sauntered past her, so she whipped on the faucet and bent her head down to hide the sparkling tears.

When the door clattered shut with an echo, Lily took a shaky breath and examined her reflection. She dabbed the makeup back into place, and pushed her way out the door and back into the Great Hall.

She spotted Sirius, chattering with some seventh-years in a corner, sipping something from a flask. Among them was Eric MacLean, the Head Boy. They were having a discussion on Quidditch, it seemed. She, like MacLean, ignored the fact that the boys had obviously smuggled in some sort of paraphernalia.

When she approached, their eyes lingered on her. She was aware that her face was flaming- not from embarrassment, but rather something more like rage.

Sirius was just turning to greet her when she caught his lips with hers. The shock must have passed through Sirius rather quickly, because almost instantly he responded deeply to the kiss. He pulled her up against his body tightly, oblivious -or uncaring- of the small spectacle they were making.

Lily didn't care. Let James see.

But she didn't have to worry much about that last part, because when she pulled away, Lily spotted James frozen to the spot by the drink table.

She kept her gaze steady on Sirius, but saw James storm away out the corner of her eye.

Sirius grinned at her and brushed a stray hair from her forehead. "That was fantastic, Lily," he said, a sparkle in his eye, "but I don't think I'm the one you really want."

Lily let out a strained laugh. "What are you talking about?" But she knew he wasn't stupid.

He ran a hand through his feathery hair. "Go on, but the next time you need to make someone jealous, just remember what a fine job I did here tonight." Sirius winked.

"Well, thanks." Lily smiled. "I'll remember that."

"And by the way," Sirius added, taking another liberal swig from his flask. "Your boobs look fantastic."

Lily frowned. "I'm going to ignore that last comment, and remember only the chivalry of the evening." But she didn't hesitate further. She ran out the door she saw James use and wandered out into the courtyard, her shoes tapping lightly on the stone.

Rain was drizzling from the overhang, cleansing the tangled climbing roses wrapped around the pillars. There was James, his face lit by the moon, gazing into the distance.

He barely registered Lily's entrance. "What?"

Frowning, Lily reached for his arm, but he snaked it out of her grasp.

"James," she scolded.

He snorted and shook his head. "I should have known this would happen. I've been a complete idiot."

"No," Lily shook her head, "you haven't. Don't let this-"

"What? Get in the way? Change things?" He whirled around to face her suddenly. "Because as I recall, you made it perfectly clear you want nothing to do with me."

Her jaw clenched and her eyes became slits. "_Me_? I've seen you with Edith! I saw you _kissing _her!"

"So?" James glared. "You kissed my best mate."

"That was…was…to make you jealous."

"Well it worked."

"Good!" Lily exclaimed.

James watched the rain patter in the courtyard.

"You're _engaged_, James," Lily breathed. "Why didn't you say something?"

Silence.

"James."

He shook his head reluctantly. "I... made a deal. With my parents…"

"That you would marry _her_?" Lily asked incredulously. "Why?"

"The marriage has been arranged since birth. It's what we do- well, the Potters, anyway," he scoffed. "It's tradition in pureblood families."

"I see."

"No," he said, stepping towards her. "You don't. I promised my mum and dad I would finally go along with it, as long as…"

"As long as what, James?" Lily said hesitantly, quite sure she would not like the answer.

He heaved a sigh. "As long as they made a donation to keep you in school."

Lily's jaw dropped. "_What_?"

"Look, forget it, all right?"

"Why would you do that for me? Allow yourself to be forced into a marriage?" she shook her head. "I can't let you do that. I can own up to the consequences, James. I'm a big girl."

"It doesn't matter. It's already done."

She was silent, gazing down at her beautiful crème satin shoes. A façade, really. She wasn't some glamorous doll, and she'd done it all to anger James, but here he had gone and given up his freedom for her sake, whether she'd asked for it or not. "I'm sorry."

"Please," he scoffed, staring back into the distance. "It would have happened one way or another." He laughed suddenly, but it was a dark, hollow laugh. "Just tell me something- did you ever want to be with me?"

She couldn't take her eyes off the ground. The rain trickled down the pillars and dripped rhythmically from the rose leaves.

Her entire body was jerked to attention when James suddenly took hold of her shoulders. "Look at me, Lily." He shook her slightly and she lifted her gaze to meet his hesitantly. Something softened in James' eyes as he breathed, nearly inaudible, "I wish you knew what it was like…to want you this badly…"

"James, I…" she was at a loss for words. There was nothing she _could_ say.

He looked at her expectantly, leaning closer. Lily could feel his breath light on her forehead as his lips brushed her skin. She swallowed hard, her lips parting subconsciously. His lips brushed hers so faintly, she wasn't sure they'd even touched.

But she pushed him away. "I don't think it matters much at all what I want anymore."

James gave her a burning stare, but Lily simply turned and left, pressing through the doors. She ran straight back to her room and tore off the dress. She curled up in her bed and buried her face in her pillow, waiting silently for sleep to consume her.

---

"Lily?" A soft voice interrupted her sleep. A hand nudged her shoulder timidly.

She blinked her eyes open and was met with a pair of thick, round spectacles. "Madeline!" she sat up straight.

"I was just…" she suddenly looked quite sheepish. "You didn't look so well. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Lily sighed and forced a small smile. "Yeah, I'm…fine." She pulled herself out of bed, perfectly aware that she probably looked like a clown with all her smudged make-up.

"Well…this came for you." Madeline held out a small scroll. "Your owl was at the window so I let him in."

"Oh…" Lily took it gratefully and glanced around the room. "The others didn't come home yet?"

Madeline shook her head. "They did. They've just all gone down to breakfast. You…slept in rather long."

Lily flushed. "It was a long night."

She nodded. "Er…also, I just think you might want to know… Sirius Black has been downstairs shouting your name for the past hour."

Lily's expression froze. "What?" She dropped the scroll on her bed and ran to the door, whipping it open.

Sure enough, there was Sirius' voice, booming up the staircase. It was sounding a tad hoarse. "EVANS!"

Throwing a cloak over her pajamas, she stormed down the stairs to find him still wearing his suit from the dance. "LIL- oh. There you are, love."

"Sirius!" she hissed, "What the bloody hell are you doing?"

"Lily!" he said again, broadly, throwing an arm over her shoulder.

She frowned, noticing that his yelling had completely cleared out the common room. "Have you been drinking?"

He grinned, faint shadows beneath his eyes. "'Course not. Well…just a tad."

"Sirius, please."

Eyes glimmering, he bent down and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry about James. And I know you'll probably say no, but I need to ask you a favor."

Lily's fierce glare softened. Amazingly, he had been a wonderful date, and a complete gentleman- until she snogged him in the middle of the Ball, of course. But that wasn't his fault. "What is it?"

"Every year, James' family has this…Christmas thing."

She wasn't sure if she liked where this was going. "Er…right…he mentioned that."

"And, see, here's the thing- I need a date."

Lily stared dumbly. "You want to take _me_ to James' family Christmas?"

Sirius could sense the panic in her voice, so he tightened his grip on her shoulders. "Please, Lily."

"Sirius! You could go with any girl you wanted. Why on earth would you ask _me_ of all people?"

"Because…" he looked sheepish, "You're a good girl."

She wasn't sure if that was a compliment. "Er…"

"Look, I need to get out of my house. Really, I do. I can't take the damn place any longer! I'm going to ask if I can move in with James, but I want to make a good impression." He looked so sincere. "You're the perfect one to do that with…Please?"

Lily sighed. She truly was torn. Sirius had been good to her and she kind of owed him. Then again, being in the same vicinity as James Potter and his Slytherin bride didn't thrill her by any means. "…All right. I'll go."

Sirius heaved a sigh. "Really? Thank you, Lily!" He wrapped her in a bear hug and kissed her forehead. "We leave tonight. Go pack."

"Wait. Pack?"

"Right. We'll be staying with them for three days."

"Excuse me?" Lily blanched. "No…I'm am not staying in James Potter's house for three days."

"Lily, come on. I promise it will be fine. The mansion is so enormous, you'll probably never even run into him!"

"…Mansion?"

"Yeah, it'll be great. You'll be back right on time for Christmas Eve."

"Well…"

"Great," he shot her his winning grin and shook the hair from his glittering gray eyes. "You won't regret it."


	18. Dinner Party

**A/N: Thank you all again for the great reviews and support! Sorry this chapter's a bit late- I've started up my semester again and things are pretty hectic. I'll try to tend to my other stories as well when I get time!**

**Chapter Eighteen: Dinner Party**

Lily grumbled to herself as she hauled her overnight bag down the aisle. This was going to be disastrous. She just knew it. Didn't Sirius remember the sizeable donation that James' parents made on her behalf to the school in order to keep her from getting kicked out? That wasn't exactly the type of thing that happened to 'good girls.'

"Let me get that for you," Sirius took her bag and slung it over his shoulder.

Finally, they had arrived at their stop. They stepped off the train with a few other students on their Christmas holiday. The air was crisp out in the country, Lily observed as she took a deep cleansing breath.

She followed Sirius into the station where the ticket master was taking their stubs and handing out small pouches of Floo powder. He glanced at Lily's stub and exchanged it for Floo. "Right, off you go," he said brightly.

Lily and Sirius found an empty fireplace in a row against the wall. Together, they tossed in the powder and went whirling through the flames at Sirius' vocal command. An instant later, they tumbled out onto an intricately embroidered Afghan rug.

"Well, here we are," Sirius held out his hands. "The Potter residence."

Lily could barely believe her eyes.

Aside from the cluster of chandeliers overhead, there were numerous crystal vases lining the mantle of the fireplace they'd just come crashing out of. The carpet was white, the sofa and curving settees were white, the thick, textured draperies framing the expansive windows were white, and there was Lily, covered in soot from head to toe. Brilliant.

"Master Black," cooed a deep, refined voice. "It is, as always, a divine _pleasure_."

Lily turned her head to make eye contact with a man she found extraordinarily familiar. The very first thing she noticed was the giant mole on his chin.

He peered down at Lily over the bridge of his prominent nose and raised a thin eyebrow. "And who might _this_ be?"

Suddenly, Lily remembered. He was the ugly man she'd bumped into at King's Cross Station when her trolley had overturned. He was rude then, and rude now.

"Ah, Leatherby, old friend," Sirius patted the man's back roughly. "Miss me?"

"Desperately," he snarled dryly.

"It's so good to be home!" Sirius exclaimed grandly, dropping all of their luggage at Leatherby's feet.

Leatherby eyed it distastefully and glared at Lily. "Madame, shall I direct you to your suite?"

"My…er…what?"

"Your digs, love," Sirius translated. "Yes, she'll follow you. Lily, I'll meet you for dinner in an hour. Er…you might want to clean up a little."

She frowned. "Well…all right." She wanted answers to several more questions, but Leatherby, apparently the butler- James had a _butler_- was already levitating her things down the hallway. She abandoned Sirius and scurried off behind her bags, trying to keep up with the man.

Through several corridors with enchanted candelabras hovering and casting an eerie glow, they made their way deeper into the depths of the Potter household. Suits of armor and ancient portraits of Potter descendents alternated as décor along the wallpapered halls. Lily strained to get a glimpse of each, but Leatherby was moving quickly, and she had to half-run to keep up. One thing she noticed in common with the majority of the Potters was the thick, unruly dark hair. It seemed that many of the ladies, with the help of pins, serums, and hair combs, had managed some semblance of style, but the men were hopeless. It made her smile.

Leatherby stopped abruptly in front of a large carved wooden door, and her bags fell to the ground with an unceremonious clatter. "Your suite, Miss."

"Er…Thank you…" She'd never really been to such a formal place in the wizarding world before. Should she tip the man?

He wedged an ancient key into the doorknob and cranked it with some effort. The door creaked open and revealed an elegant four-poster draped with a gauzy white fabric. The furniture was extravagant carved rosewood, and a portrait of a beautiful young girl gazed down at her from across the room. Lily entered timidly, as if trespassing on sacred ground. She'd never in her life been in a room so immaculate. It felt delicate and airy, almost dreamlike.

"Dinner will be served promptly at seven." With that, Leatherby shut the door with a click. Lily could hear his heavy footsteps clopping away down the hall.

She took a deep breath and turned to examine herself in the ornate wall mirror. Oh lovely. The frizz and pasty skin couldn't really be fixed, but at least she could wipe the smudged soot from her cheeks. Once that was finished and she'd changed into a clean pair of trousers and a blouse, she ventured out into the hallways.

Hmm. Right. She was told to come to dinner, but…where exactly _was_ it? She tried to retrace her steps with Leatherby, but was failing miserably. She'd been paying far too much attention to the décor.

At this rate she was going to be hideously late. She quickened her pace until she was practically jogging. The house was massive, and each hallway seemed to lead her only to another hallway. She felt a bit like Alice, but with no bloody rabbit to follow. She could hear the tick-tock of the clock in her head, however, and was not going to allow herself to be embarrassingly late to her first dinner with the Potters.

Flushed and flustered, Lily rounded a corner and crashed unceremoniously into a large grandfather clock and landed flat on her bum. So she wasn't imagining the ticking clock.

"Ow…" she groaned, massaging her head.

"Are you all right?"

Lily blinked up dizzily at the slender figure hovering over her. And then her stomach knotted. Behold, the elegantly coiffed and groomed Edith Baldric, a glittering shall draped over her otherwise bare shoulders. Unlike Lily, Edith was dressed to the nines in a shimmering black cocktail dress to match her sleek black French twist, a few wispy tendrils framing her face. She held out a helpful hand.

Reluctantly, Lily accepted it and was pulled upright with surprising strength. "You're…quite strong," Lily said.

"Quidditch," she said matter-of-factly. "I may look like a lady, but I sure don't play like one." She laughed brightly.

Great. She was a Quidditch player too- definitely James' dream girl. "Thank you…" Lily dusted off her gray slacks and became suddenly aware of how underdressed she actually was.

"Don't mention it. So…you're a friend of James, right? Evans? I recognize you. Prefect. Sixth-year?"

Lily nodded. "You're the Head Girl."

Edith's eyes flickered. "That's right."

A moment of silence passed in which Lily began to feel exceedingly awkward. She glanced up at the grandfather clock she'd slammed into and noticed the time. "I think we'd better get to dinner."

"Fabulous idea," Edith grinned, her perfectly straight teeth sparkling. She slipped her slender arm through Lily's, and tugged her along as if they'd been friends for ages.

Lily was shocked by her forwardness, but relinquished herself because, frankly, she had no idea where the dining room was. Lily let Edith guide her through a set of carved wooden doors into an immaculate room lined with arched stained glass windows. The table practically filled the length of the room, and there were at least fifteen people seated comfortably already.

Silverware clattered onto a plate. James was gaping at Lily.

"Look who's arrived with Sirius, James! Lily Evans, your friend, right?" Edith held out Lily's hand as if she were introducing the debutante of the ball. Lily immediately flushed, realizing that she was, in fact, sorely underdressed. All of the women were in dress robes, and the men fashionably suited as well. And there she was in her old gray slacks and white blouse with the second faux pearl button missing. Fabulous.

But James wasn't the only one shocked. His father immediately recognized her and his lips curled into a small frown which he tried to hide by taking an unnecessarily large gulp of wine.

Mr. Potter was seated next to a tall, elderly woman. She was very beautiful, with thick graying curls pinned with gem-encrusted combs. Like Mr. Potter, she too had a regal air about her, and when she spotted Lily, her nose seemed to turn up a bit. Literally.

"Well…" the woman, presumably James' mother, said, replacing her glass on the table. "How lovely of you to come. Please, have a seat." The woman may not have recognized her, but Lily sure recognized the woman. She was with Leatherby at King's Cross Station that first day at Hogwarts- the one she rammed into with her trolley. How humiliating.

Lily treaded lightly over to Sirius who was grinning broadly at her, burgundy wine sloshing from his glass. "Cheers, love!"

She plopped down beside him, her cheeks nearly as brilliant as the wine. "Thanks for letting me know the dress code," she hissed to him. The empty glass before her filled itself instantly, and she had to restrain herself from chugging the entire thing.

James' father stood and smoothed the front of his cloak, raising the wine glass in his other hand. "It's wonderful of you all to come. I would like to first raise a toast to my son and his lovely future bride."

They all clinked glasses with a collective, "Cheers!"

Lily caught James eyeing her over the rim of his glass, but he turned away quickly when Edith touched him lightly and leaned in for a kiss. Lily nearly choked on her drink.

"Now, let's eat!" Mr. Potter said grandly. The moment he took his seat, the plates began to fill with all sorts of succulent dishes: roast pig, heaping bowls of scalloped potatoes and creamy yams, steaming loaves of bread…Lily was overwhelmed. The feast was even grander than Hogwarts.

"Really, Eleanor," a middle-aged blonde woman said from across the table, "You keep the finest elves in your kitchens. Where _do_ you find them?"

"Oh," James' mother simpered, "They've been in the family for ages. Nearly as old as Leatherby, I should say."

The table chuckled. Somehow Lily didn't think the butler would appreciate that observation.

Eleanor turned to Lily suddenly. "So tell me, dear," she raised an eyebrow. "Where are you from? London, I presume?"

Lily coughed. "Er…Much further north, actually. Are you familiar with Spinner's End?"

The blonde woman choked on the very food she'd just complimented.

"Oh?" the look on Eleanor's face was unreadable. "Is that where you were raised?"

"Well…near there." Lily was suddenly very desperate to change the subject. A couple at the end of the table was snickering. "Your home is lovely!"

The smile only flashed across her features briefly. "Thank you. You know, you do look so familiar. We must have met."

"Oh…no…I don't think-" But Lily was interrupted by the hovering Leatherby, who'd just wandered past to collect a bit of china from a nearby cabinet.

"She's a bit crude with a trolley, Madame," he droned in passing.

"Ah, yes," her eyes flickered. "I knew I'd seen you somewhere." She turned to the other guests. "We had a bit of a run-in at King's Cross. She lost control of the trolley." Eleanor turned back to Lily, "I do hope your skill with rolling objects has improved."

Everyone at the table tittered.

"Mum, please," James frowned, setting down his glass.

"Oh, James, we're just having a bit of fun, aren't we Lily?"

"Er…" Lily forced a smile. "Yes…of course."

She remained silent for the majority of the meal, offering up a nod here and there in response to a question or two. The women chatted about décor and Witch Wellness Society meetings, discussing plans for future fundraisers. Edith seemed very involved in everything, and Eleanor Potter, along with the other women, seemed to hang on her every word. She was a delicate eater, attuned to the etiquette of high society, and handled herself gracefully with each question. She also laughed like a twitter bird, but it was most unfortunately infectious to everyone else. Lily wasn't won over, though. She glared over each sip of wine, and tried to focus on Sirius' conversations, but it was hard to follow Quidditch talk.

"Yes, well," one of the men, who appeared to be the blonde woman's husband, expounded, "It's all well and good for entertainment, but it's clear the real Galleons are in investing. Isn't that right, James?"

James barely registered the man was even speaking. He downed the wine in his glass, and it magically refilled itself.

"Now, I know," the man turned to the rest of crowd listening, "that you hold quite the fancy for that sport, James." His eyes twinkled. "I believe, at one time, you actually wanted to pursue the dream professionally, am I right?"

A few people laughed. James didn't respond.

"It's a good thing your father talked sense into you. And Edith here seems to have caught on quickly. Her family's made a downright fortune in the cauldron business. Excellent connection you're making, James. Now it seems you're getting your life on a _real_ track, eh?" He chuckled, taking a grand slurp from his glass.

"Actually, Edgar," Sirius eyed the man with a glint of distaste, "Your nephew is quite talented. Gives all the teams a run for their money. Won the Cup last year-"

"I don't need _you_ defending me," James hissed, suddenly standing, his glass shattering by some unseen force, which sent a current of burgundy across the table. It seeped into the white linen, its trail ending right at Lily's plate. A few drips landed on her blouse, but she, like the other guests, were not paying attention to the spill. Their eyes were all on James.

Lily glanced at Sirius who had quickly fallen silent, but had a dangerously narrow gaze on James.

"_James_," his mother scolded.

James dropped his napkin and shoved his chair out. "Excuse me."

Edith looked appalled, giving a nervous little shrug as if to say, _I don't know what possibly could have come over my precious James! He's never like this! _But she also didn't follow him out.

Lily swallowed hard and excused herself as well, but no one really took notice. Sirius gave her a solemn glance, but didn't stop her.

"Was it something I said?" she could hear Edgar saying innocently to the rest as she slipped out of the room.

She peered down the corridors, but the mansion was far too big for her to navigate. Knowing James, he likely had some hiding place he sought out for refuge, and if no one else could find it, a first-time guest in the home surely wouldn't.

So when Lily found him perched on the staircase, she was more than a bit shocked. He didn't seem to notice her, so she stood there silently, watching him for a moment. He was quick to loosen his tie, and it now hung askew on his rumpled shirt. His hands were clasped, his head was down, and the heel of his left foot was tapping angrily. He exhaled gruffly and looked up as he did so, catching Lily's eye.

"Hi…" she said tentatively.

He stared at her a moment. "Hi."

Lily wandered over, pausing in front of him. "Was that your uncle?"

James nodded. "Mum's baby brother."

"He seems quite rude."

James reached out a hand, and Lily made to move backwards, but he only caught the hem of her blouse. "I spilled on you." He rubbed the small red stain between his fingers.

"Oh…yeah. That's okay."

He let go. "Are you with Sirius now?"

Lily scoffed. "Of course not!"

"Then why'd you come?" he frowned.

"Because he asked me to."

"So you do what he says now, do you? Never listened to me that easily."

Lily glared at him. "For your information, Sirius has been a very good friend to me."

"I'm sure he has," James spat.

Lily shook her head. "Not everyone thinks in sexual favors, you know."

"Padfoot does."

"Well not this time. Can we please drop the subject? I just came out to see how you are-"

James leapt up and grabbed her hand, his eyes suddenly alight with mischief. "Let's get out of here."

Lily was taken aback. "What? Where?"

"Come on! Let's forget this stupid dinner." He tugged at her hand.

"James…_James_…" she jerked her hand free. "_No_."

He looked as if she'd slapped him in the face.

"You can't keep shunning your responsibilities!" Lily reprimanded.

"What do you know about it? You've never done a single irresponsible thing in your life!" He retorted. "And don't say stealing a damned book, because, Lils, that doesn't count."

Lily looked hurt. "I burnt down the library…"

"That was a bloody accident!" James shrugged. "Let's face it. You're no rebel."

Lily gasped. "I can _so_ be a rebel! I _can_!" she added in response to his bored look.

He shrugged again, egging her on. "I don't know, Lily. I just don't see it."

She glared. "All right then. Where are we going- Wait, no! No, I know what you're trying to do, and you will _not_ persuade me to aid in your misbehavior!"

James burst out laughing all of a sudden, clutching his stomach.

"What? What is so funny?" Her hands were on her hips.

He continued to laugh, tears sparkling in his eyes.

"Potter! What is so bloody hilarious?" Frustration made her flush.

James caught his breath and sighed. "You are too much, Evans. Come on, let's get back to dinner."

Lily frowned. "Well, all right. But no more making fun of me."

James grinned, making Lily's lips curve in response. "Promise."

They walked back towards the dining room side-by-side, and Lily felt James slip his hand into hers, entwining their fingers. But the moment they glanced up, they knew they'd made a mistake. As quickly as they spotted Edith, they ripped their hands apart.

But Edith had seen. The corner of her lip was twitching a bit.

"There you are," she said lightly, but sent pins and needles Lily's way. "Everyone is wondering where you went."

James shoved his hands into his pockets. "Right. Coming."

Edith slipped her hand through the crook of James' arm as he passed by and ushered him back inside. She glanced over her shoulder briefly, giving Lily the chills. Lily was about to follow, but thought better of it. Instead, she ventured back to her room.

Sighing, she plopped down listlessly on her bed. She peered out the window, but there was not much to see in the darkness.

She began digging through her bag to pull out her outfit for the big Christmas party the next day, when a small scroll of paper tumbled out with the loosened fabric. It was her letter. She'd almost forgotten. Carefully unraveling the sheet of white paper, Lily scanned the scrawled lettering, immediately recognizing it as her mother's. But only a few lines seemed to really matter:

…didn't want to upset you and Petunia before Christmastime, but you need to know that your father is temporarily out of his job at the office. There's no need for real concern of course- I'm certain Mr. Wiggins will come to his senses and send a notice of rehire to your father around Spring. It really was the strangest thing- so sudden. The business is a roller coaster, after all…

Lily dropped the paper to her lap. Of course her mother thought everything would be all right; her mother was an eternal optimist, and she clung to the lingering hope that there was a bit of good in everyone. Mr. Wiggins, however, clung to the hope of increasing his profit margin. The thought of her bumbling father being sought out for rehire was laughable. She crumpled up the letter and tossed it back into her bag.

Her poor father…He worked so hard for them. Happy Christmas, Mr. Henry Evans, you've been sacked. Sincerest regards, Mr. Wiggins.

She collapsed backwards onto her bed and drifted off to thoughts of the evening, James, Edith, and her family…

And when Lily awoke, she was greeted by sunlight streaming through her window, sparkling on her lashes as she blinked her eyes open. It seemed that overnight the mansion had been coated in a fresh layer of snow. The country landscape glistened in its new winter coat.

That morning, after a quiet breakfast, Lily ventured out for a walk. Sirius seemed to be consumed in a deep discussion with Mr. Potter, so Lily went alone. She sure wasn't about to ask James, and Edith was a bit preoccupied buttering James' toast (though she did seem to register Lily with a glare when Lily excused herself from the table to go find her cloak).

But a little fresh air was just what she needed. Only two more days, and she could finally be out of this horribly awkward situation. Her mind drifted back to her family as she trudged down the path, moving further and further from the mansion, until she stumbled upon a frozen pond, hidden behind a cluster of evergreen trees.

Idly, she began breaking off bits of ice and skidding them across the frozen surface. She had just snapped off a rather large chunk with her heel when a looming shadow made her jump.

"Oh, you startled me-" Lily stopped mid-sentence when she turned to see the shadow's caster.

"Lily," Edith said in a sweet voice.

Lily hesitated. "Hello."

Edith stepped delicately over to the edge of the frozen pond and peered at her reflection on the ice's shiny surface. "Hmm. It's a lovely day."

"That it is," Lily busted off another chunk, sending a spray of shaved ice everywhere.

Edith flicked a small piece off the hem of her black skirt and cleared her throat. "So tell me, how long have you known James?"

"I don't see why that's important." Lily didn't mean to sound so rude, but Edith was getting on her nerves. Didn't she have more brown-nosing to attend to?

Edith laughed hollowly. "Well you two seem very comfortable with one another. Though, I wouldn't get any ideas."

"Ideas about what, Edith?" Lily eyed Edith brazenly.

She simpered, "About James. I suppose I don't have to worry about that though."

"And why is that exactly?"

"I'm sorry to say, Lily," she crooned, "but you're just no match for me. You're ordinary. And someone like James deserves better. I, unlike you, am unrivaled."

It felt like a rabid cat was clawing Lily's insides. She wanted so badly to scream. Or just slap the bitch. "I do fine for myself. You can _have_ James Potter."

"Oh right- because you're here with Sirius Black." Edith laughed longer than was necessary. What the bloody hell was so funny?

Lily tried to push past her, but Edith blocked her with a heel.

"Stay away from James."

Lily glared at Edith and scoffed. She shoved Edith aside rather roughly, not giving her the satisfaction of a response.

Edith brushed her jet-black waves aside and watched Lily darkly as she trekked back up to the mansion, the corners of her rosy pink lips curling into a small smirk.


	19. Proposition

**Chapter Nineteen: Proposition**

Guests slowly trickled into the Potter's mansion as the band struck up a soft tune that echoed throughout the high-ceilinged ballroom. The tinkling of champagne flutes and hors d'oeuvre forks filled Lily's ears as she trailed in behind Sirius.

She had to hand it to them; the Potters certainly knew how to throw a party. It was the finest Christmas ball _she'd_ ever attended. Though, she had to admit, she hadn't attended all that many, and certainly none in a place like this!

Lily was moving too slowly, she supposed, dazzled by the atmosphere around her, because just then Sirius grabbed her by the hand and tugged her right into the middle of the action. She suddenly found herself surrounded by towering hook-nosed women in glittering black robes and middle-aged men casting her appreciative glances in between their sips of firewhiskey and investment chatter.

Indeed, this was not her parent's office bash. No chili pepper red two-piece dresses adorned with glittering green bow pins or Santa-shaped earrings that somehow always ended up in the cheese dip or punch bowl after 10 P.M. And certainly no Fordhams or Davenports to offer up their peaky son to have a dance with "the shy little Evans girl- my, what a lady she's becoming!"

Glancing down at her own appearance, Lily felt a wave of confidence flow over her. She hadn't done so bad for herself, after all. She'd put on her mum's vintage cocktail dress, which wasn't exactly wizard attire, but did the trick. It was a rich, deep blue and a bit slinky around the shoulders, so she added a heavy shawl. Of course, the moment Sirius spotted her, he grinned, kissed her cheek and ripped the shawl from her with a wink and a matter-of-fact, "You won't be needing that, love," which left her simultaneously embarrassed and feeling more than a bit revealed.

But as Lily wandered awkwardly through the crowd, she noticed other girls her age in similar dresses, one whom she quickly recognized as Florence Page, one of Charlotte's little cronies. Florence, whose hooked nose so resembled the women's around her, actually looked quite nice. She spotted Lily at that moment and with a strange look on her face, trotted toward her.

"Lily?" Her curved eyebrows gave her a perpetually shocked expression, but Lily realized upon further inspection that Florence had just gotten a bit overzealous with the tweezers. "What are you doing here?"

"Er…hello, Florence." Despite the fact that they had been roommates for the majority of her years at Hogwarts, Lily really knew nothing about her, and had only assumed Florence was from a crowd like this. Of course, if _Florence_ were here, then surely-

"_Evans_?" An incredulous snarl came from behind.

Florence and Lily turned to see, not Charlotte as she'd expected, but Helen Halverson, dolled up like a queen, and striding forth arm-in-arm with some unassuming blonde boy. "_What_ are you doing at this party?"

There was a snotty edge to her voice and Lily didn't like it much. Not that she cared for Helen all that much in the first place, but without Charlotte around, Helen tended to be a least a bit mild-mannered toward her. "I'm here with Sirius Black, thank you kindly for your interest."

"Wait-" Helen scoffed in that obnoxious tone of hers, "_You_? And _Sirius_?"

Helen's date held out his hand amiably. "Hello, I'm Grant. You must be Helen's friend Charlotte-" But Helen swatted it away, shooting him a glare.

"You don't _speak_, okay? And she isn't _Charlotte_." She spat 'Charlotte' with nearly as much venom as she had Lily's last name.

Whoa. Even Florence shot Helen a questioning look- though it could have just been the deceptive over-plucked brows. But Helen was certainly not acting like Helen- or at least, the Helen Lily thought she knew. It seemed there was an upset in the social order of things, and when Charlotte wasn't around, Helen was more than willing to fill the position.

It appeared a new princess had been crowned.

Helen narrowed her eyes and flashed a teasing smirk as she slunk past Lily. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

Lily raised her eyebrows and frowned as the three of them merged with the chattering crowd and disappeared. Suffice it to say, Lily was now feeling all the more uncomfortable. Helen was right…what was she doing here? Helping Sirius. But, Lily thought to herself as she watched him from across the room, mingling and joking with the guests, did Sirius really need her? It was pretty clear she didn't fit in here, as Helen and Edith had been so helpful to point out thus far.

She was quickly shaken from her thoughts when she spotted Edith across the room. Attached to her arm, of course, was James. To Lily's dismay, he was wearing a grin, and seemed to be accepting a barrage of complements from his guests pertaining to Edith's appearance as evidenced by her fake little blush and titter of thanks in response. Lily thought she was going to be sick. What was James thinking? What were his _parents_ thinking? Couldn't they see right through her?

Lily was just turning to find the drink table when James caught her stare. His expression didn't change, but his eyes flickered up and down her body, forcing a blush to rise up her neck. Lily whirled around and stared intently at the wall a moment, trying to force the blush back down. Once she felt she'd composed herself, she peered back over her shoulder, but James and Edith had already moved on to mingle with another group.

Frustration welled up inside of her. Why was she allowing herself to act this way, and for what? James Potter, the boy who had treated her like garbage since the day she arrived at Hogwarts? Surely Lily Evans had more dignity than that, she thought glumly to herself, flicking a bit of lint from the hem of her cocktail dress.

"Ahem!" A clinking glass summoned Lily's attention to the center of the ballroom.

James' parents were standing in a small clearing of the crowd and had ushered James and Edith in between them. Beside Madame Potter was a tall slender couple with willowy dark hair, just like their daughter. Mr. Baldric seemed bored, while his wife pasted on a syrupy grin that didn't at all suit her.

"We would just like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas, and thank you all for attending our little affair."

There was a tinkling of glasses in approval.

Mr. Potter cleared his throat and continued. "We would also like to make an official announcement to you all, our dearest friends and family, and confirm a rumor that I have no doubt has been circulating." He grinned at his son who returned only a token twitch of the lips and raised his glass. "To my son James and his future wife, Miss Edith Baldric."

Everyone raised their glasses amidst the excited murmuring and congratulations. The glasses clinked, and the champagne sloshed about, and Lily went pale. She turned and went straight into the hall in search of a bathroom.

She opened the door, then immediately blushed, having walked in on someone crying. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I-" Lily gaped. "_Charlotte_?"

Charlotte Vane blinked through her streaming tears, black eye makeup smudged unevenly down her cheeks. Her eyes widened. She slammed the door and let out another wail.

Lily stood frozen with shock momentarily before hesitantly giving the door a little tap. "Er…Charlotte? It's Lily."

"Go away!" she sniveled, making it a bit difficult to make out the words.

Frowning, Lily began to walk away, but thought better of it and propped herself against the wall. "Did something happen?" Lily tested delicately.

There were a few more sniffles.

"Did someone get hurt?"

More sniffles.

Lily swallowed. "Are _you_ hurt?"

The door clicked and creaked open gently, beckoning her ominously to enter. When Lily crept inside, Charlotte was propped up on the old fashioned toilet, rhythmically dabbing her face with a handful of crumpled toilet tissue. She sort of sniffled and peered down at her lap morosely.

"Charlotte…what's going on?" Lily shut the door behind her.

She heaved a wobbly sigh and blew her nose. "It-it's-it's- Daddy!"

Lily frowned. "What happened? Is he all right?"

Charlotte shook her head fiercely and dabbed her nose. "It's gone. All of it."

Lily was only growing more confused. "Er…what's that?"

"The m-m-m-moneeeey!" she wailed and buried her face in her hands. "It's all gone! Daddy sold it!"

"Er…he sold his money?" Lily was thoroughly confused.

"No, you nitwit!" Charlotte shrieked. "The business! Our prized cauldron business. There's nothing left!"

"Oh no…Charlotte I'm sorry. What does that mean?"

Charlotte lifted her face and stared at Lily bewildered. "It _means_ no more money! _That's_ what it means! It means Daddy is out of the job!"

Lily didn't know a whole lot about business, but it seemed that a man like Mr. Vane would have other options. "Hasn't he invested in…anything else?"

"He's not an investor, he is an _entrepreneur_!" Charlotte spoke the word haughtily with a French accent. "He built an entire empire, and that bitch took it from him!"

"Who…?"

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. "Edith. Well…her father…He bought out the company. Daddy had no choice…at least, that's what he told Mummy." She sighed forlornly. "Now I have nothing."

Lily shook her head. "Charlotte, I'm sure your father will figure something out. Like you said, he's an entrepreneur. He'll start building a new empire."

"It's…not that." She peered at the floor, uncharacteristically solemn. "Everyone thinks…that I'm not good enough anymore."

"Not good enough for what?"

She laughed tonelessly. "To be their friend."

Lily furrowed her brow. She actually felt bad for Charlotte. "You mean Florence?"

"And Helen…"

Lily scoffed. "Helen's a cow. Good riddance."

To Lily's surprise, Charlotte smiled. "Thanks." But the smile quickly faded. "I can't even get Madeline to speak to me."

"I'm sure Madeline will talk to you. She seems like a good person."

"Yeah?" Charlotte said scornfully "The only reason she hung out with us is because I threatened to have her father sacked."

"_What_?" Lily was feeling less sorry for her.

"Her dad. He's a squib," Charlotte continued. "He couldn't get a job anywhere else, so my dad took him on. I know I shouldn't have, but…it was just so easy."

Lily glared and flushed. "Charlotte, that's horrible, making her live in fear of that! Her father might be the sole provider! You may not have had to worry about money, but she did! That's a sick, cruel thing to do!"

Charlotte looked taken aback. "I'm sorry! I know…I just…like I said- it was…easy…What's got your knickers in a bunch?"

Lily sighed and began tearing up a loose bit of toilet tissue. "My dad was just sacked. I don't know if I can afford my last year at Hogwarts."

Charlotte looked, surprisingly, embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"Anyway, so I sort of know how you feel." Lily smiled weakly.

Charlotte shrugged. "Yeah, well I'm sure Madeline will be able to join our little club soon."

Lily jolted upright. "What do you mean?"

"Please," she scoffed, ripping bits of lint off a towel. "With the Baldrics in charge, Squibs will be the first thing to go, and next will be the mudbloods."

Lily cringed at the word. But she knew Charlotte was right.

They sat together for awhile, oddly comfortable in somewhat companionable quiet. Only a few sniffles permeated the silence. Finally, Lily stood. "Are you going to be alright? I'm going to get back to the party."

"Yeah…I'm just going to clean up." She hesitated. "Er…thank you, Lily."

Lily smiled. "Sure." She stepped out into the hallway and shut the door.

"Going somewhere?"

Lily jumped, startled by the voice. Then she snorted with derision. James was leaning casually against the banister. His hair was its usual disheveled mess, as if he hadn't even bothered attempting to tame it for the occasion. "Don't you have a fiancée to attend to?"

James laughed out loud- louder than necessary in Lily's opinion. She tried to push past him, but he simply blocked her with his wide chest.

She huffed. "Do you _mind_?"

He poked his forefinger skyward. Lily frowned and followed it, then frowned even deeper at the mistletoe dangling above them at the base of the stairs.

"Ha ha, _so_ funny, Potter- mffff!"

James cut her off with a sloppy wet kiss, and pulled away grinning. "Ah, I _love_ tradition!"

Lily whacked him hard in the chest. "You just can't ambush me whenever you feel like it!" she spat, her cheeks flaming.

James pressed closer, forcing her up against the wall. "Why not?"

"Because- because-" she was getting flustered and James was eating it up. "Because you can't have everything you like!"

"I can't?" He said mockingly, something flickering in his hazel eyes.

"And what about Edith?" Lily muttered, glaring past his shoulder, desperately avoiding his hazel gaze.

He grinned, the mischief reappearing in his features. He took a step closer, slipping his hands around her waist. "What about her? It's not like she's ever been faithful to me. Why should I start?"

Lily reached up to slap him, but James caught her wrist and held it tightly.

"Let go of me!" She struggled.

He pushed her gently against the wall and let go of her wrist, using both hands to push the hair back from her face. His warm breath tickled her cheeks, paralyzing her. Their noses were nearly touching.

"James…Stop it," she breathed.

James' lips were parted, and he leaned in toward her.

"You heard the lady," a voice interrupted.

James languorously lifted his gaze away from Lily, and turned to see Sirius standing in the doorway.

"That's my date you're pawing," he smirked, but there was something dangerous in his eyes.

"Speaking of _pawing_," James played along, turning away from Lily and loosening his tie, "How have _you_ been treating the lady, Padfoot? It seems you've left her all alone for someone to snatch up."

Sirius' smirk washed away and he glared. "Quit playing games."

Lily decided it was time to intervene. She stepped in front of James who had been guarding her like a dog. "I was just using the bathroom, thanks. I'll be getting back to the party now." She turned back to James. "Congratulations, James. On your engagement."

She brushed past Sirius as well, and went straight back to the ballroom where she found the drink table. The nerve! Like she was a piece of meat!

Just as she was reaching for the wine bottle, a hand slipped gracefully in front of her and snatched it up, artfully filling a glass and handing it to her. Lily gulped and met the intense gaze of Mr. Potter.

"Er…thank you."

He smirked. "No trouble." He poured a glass for himself as well.

She tried to slink away, but Mr. Potter stopped her.

"I was hoping, perhaps, I could chat with you, Lily. Privately. Just for a moment." His hazel eyes crinkled. So much like James'. "I won't keep you from the party."

"Er…sure…" she replied uncomfortably.

No one seemed to notice them leave through a small door and make their way to a little office. Lily entered at his behest, and hovered by a wall of bookshelves, pretending to be interested in the collection. The office was dim, and became even darker when Mr. Potter shut the door with a click.

Lily jumped at the sound.

Mr. Potter made his way around to his desk and took a seat, sipping his wine calmly. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Yes. Thank you…so much for having me here."

"Of course. James seems pleased, and that is what his mother and I like to see."

Silence. Lily fiddled with her glass.

"Lily, I just want you to know that I have nothing against you," he said softly, "but this family has obligations. It would be improper to have you…interfering."

Her brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

Mr. Potter held up a hand to silence her. "There are things you do not understand about our lifestyle, coming from the…situation you do."

"I'm sorry," Lily's face was heating up, "I'm not sure what _situation_ you're talking about."

He laughed hollowly. "Let's not play these games, child-"

"I'm not a _child_!" Lily blurted rather loudly.

He was silent.

Lily was breathing heavily, trying to settle herself down.

"I don't have long to live, Lily. I'm an old man." He wandered to his desk and sat down pulling out a quill. "I need to make certain that my son will inherit the wealth and prestige necessary to keep him safe and protect the Potter name." He dipped the quill delicately into the inkpot.

Lily listened to the scratching of the feather tip on parchment.

"These are dark times, and to ensure my son's safety, I must ensure that he remains in a position of power." He folded the parchment and stood up, rounding the desk and handing the scrap to Lily.

"What's this?" she asked tentatively, resistant to take it.

He urged it into her hand. "Insurance."

Lily took the paper and unfolded it. A small key tumbled out into the palm of her hand. Immediately she shoved it back towards him. "I won't take this. I won't be _bought_."

"I'm not buying _you_, Miss Evans." The lines around his mouth grew deeper. "I'm purchasing my son's well-being. You will take it because you desperately need it."

"And why would I need your money?" Lily frowned.

"Because," he said lightly, "with your father out of a job and a year of school left to pay for, you don't have many other options."

The breath caught in her throat. "How…how do you know about that?"

He just smirked. "Keep the key. The vault is in your name. If you don't choose to open it within the next few days, I will remove the contents."

"Why would you do this?" Lily's fists were shaking. "Why not just take away the donation you made and have me kicked out of school?"

"Because James would know I had something to do with it. This way he never needs to know. You'll simply stay out of his life and finish your final year, intent on getting a good career to… support your family."

Lily stormed out of the office wordlessly and all the way to the ballroom, stumbling down the staircase. She burst through the doors and went straight to Sirius who was in the middle of telling some joke to a large group. She walked straight up behind him and stopped.

"I want to leave," Lily stammered, her eyes stinging. "Now."

Sirius placed his glass down on an end table, pulling Lily away delicately by the elbow. "What's wrong?"

She knew everyone nearby was staring at her, particularly Edith who seemed to be wearing a small smirk and the frowning Madame Potter who looked affronted at the interruption, but she didn't care. "Please, Sirius," she pleaded with her eyes.

He seemed to chew on the thought briefly, but nodded his head and turned to the group he'd been chatting with. "Please excuse us. Something's come up. I'm afraid we'll have to take our leave a bit early."

Madame Potter looked shocked. With a gloved hand to her décolletage, she let out a worried little sigh. "Good heavens. What could possibly be so important-?"

"Just let them go, Mum," James interrupted. Lily didn't realize he'd been standing right there. With Edith.

Edith placed a hand in James', making Lily cringe.

"Thank you for the invitation," Sirius said formally. "James." He nodded to his friend.

James barely acknowledged him.

Sirius ushered Lily out into the hall and didn't speak until they reached the fireplace.

Finally he broke the silence. "I'm sorry I brought you here."

"I know, Sirius." Lily shook her head shamefully. "I've been a terrible guest. I must have made an awful impression. His parents _clearly _hate me. I hope it doesn't ruin your chances of-"

Sirius put a hand up, looking uncharacteristically stern. "No. I'm not ashamed that you're here, Lily. I'm ashamed that I made you come."

"…what?"

Sirius sighed, running a hand through his feathery dark hair. "The truth is…" he swallowed hard, "I was trying to make James jealous."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "What…?"

He shook his head. "I lied. I don't want to move in here. Believe me, I do want out of my house…but I just wanted him to realize what he's missing with you. He's always gotten anything and everything he's wanted until now. When he sees you with me, it kills him, because not only are you something he can't take away from me, you're also something he can never have because of his obligation to Edith."

Lily was speechless. Sirius had used her.

"I know it was wrong to bring you here knowing you could be embarrassed, but I'm so sick of James' games. I just- once- wanted to show him what it was like."

"Sirius…" Her insides were burning. "How _could_ you…?"

Sirius looked genuinely ashamed. "I…"

"You _knew_ what was going on between James and me! I came here to _help_ you, and once again the joke is on me! Somehow I keep getting dragged into the middle of this-this- _power_ _struggle_! First Remus and now you? What exactly is it that you're trying to prove to each other?" Lily was fuming.

"I…it's complicated." He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "We've been friends for so long, and Remus and I have had to grow up a bit faster than James. He's trapped in this little world of his, and his parents don't help that much. He needs a wakeup call."

"I just…I really thought that…"

His eyes softened. "Thought what?"

Lily bit her cheek.

Sirius smiled. His black hair brushed her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I think I could fall in love with you, Lily, but for your sake, I'd better not." He grinned and his gray eyes began to sparkle once more. "Besides, who am I to defy nature?" he said breezily.

A small smile tugged at Lily's lips, despite her lingering anger. "You owe me, Sirius Black. You really do."

Sirius grinned. "Let's get you back to Hogwarts."

"Do you think…" Lily hesitated, "that we could make a stop on the way?"


	20. Silent Night

**A/N: This one is long overdue, guys! Thanks for sticking with me!**

**Chapter Twenty: Silent Night**

When Lily and Sirius arrived at Gringotts, she wasn't quite sure she was making the right choice. It was a lot of money, after all— a lot of money that her family could use. She found Mr. Potter's offer to be an insult to her integrity…yet here she was. But here she was not without a plan.

Lily marched straight up to the counter and chatted quietly with one of the Goblins, handing him the key. Sirius waited patiently, and when Lily returned to where he stood, looking accomplished, he questioned her. "What was that all about, anyway?"

She sighed and shoved her hands into the pockets of her cloak, which clashed horribly with the blue cocktail dress she was still wearing. "I just needed to transfer a bit of gold."

"Ah," he said breezily, money being a matter which he cared little for. They wandered back out to the silent street of Diagon Alley, mildly lit by the glimmering stars above. "So you aren't still angry with me, are you?"

Lily sighed again, this time more exhaustively. "No…" she trailed off, coming to a sudden halt. "But I do need a favor."

Sirius put on a dramatically stern face. "Anything."

"Seriously."

He nodded his head. "All right. I do owe you. Though I should warn you, my going rate is not cheap, and I'm afraid that favor is only worth so many Galleons."

Lily ignored his joke and peered up at the stars. "Tell me the real reason you and James are fighting."

Sirius actually guffawed. It echoed through the dark streets, and made Lily angry.

"It's not bloody funny, Sirius. I don't like being lied to."

He fell silent, but something flickered in his eyes. "Why do you think I'm lying?"

"There's only one reason men fight as adamantly as you two," she glared. "It's always over a woman."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, and his gray eyes flashed again.

"And I know it's not me," she smiled contritely. Then, biting her lip hesitantly, she whispered, "You're in love with her, aren't you?"

Silence. Sirius' head was turned slightly, and his shaggy locks blocked his face so Lily couldn't see his expression. But after a few minutes, he turned to her and smirked. "Am I?"

A cool evening breeze picked up suddenly and tickled their cheeks as it whisked by. There were neither birds nor bugs out, the absence of which only made the moment that much more disquieting.

Sirius turned away and ground his heel into the cobblestones unconsciously. "It's not like you think."

"Then how is it?" Lily prodded gently.

He sighed and tilted his head up to the stars. "I think, by now, you've figured out what sort of family she's from. The same sort as mine…" he smiled at her ruefully. "She'd be my fiancée, you know. If I hadn't turned my back on my family…"

"…Does she know?"

He nodded. "She does."

Well that explained why she laughed when Lily said Sirius had brought her as his date. "Does she feel the same? I mean she was forced to be with James, right? She can't be happy about it…"

"Oh no," Sirius laughed again, but this time his tone was tinged with sourness, "Edith would never turn down a good…game. And her parents would never let her turn down the power and prestige of the Potter family."

"And what about the Black family?"

"Ah…" Sirius chuckled, "the Most Noble House…No. We didn't offer quite the benefits at the time."

"She sounds selfish, Sirius," Lily said bluntly.

Sirius flicked a small pebble out into the darkness. "She's not all bad," was all he said.

--

Ah, Christmas cheer.

It was what Lily had none of at the moment.

"Bugger!" She had just spilled half a bottle of someone's perfume all over her suitcase. "Bloody hell…all my things will smell like…" she read the bottle bitterly, "_Petite_ _Clématite_. Charming."

Charlotte shrieked. "That's my favorite scent! Look what you've done!" She tore the bottle from Lily's grasp and cradled it mournfully. "Do you know how much a bottle of this _costs_?"

"No," Lily went back to packing.

Charlotte huffed and glared at her. "_What_ is wrong with you this morning? It's Christmas Eve. Have some bloody cheer. And stay away from my things."

"You're right…I'm sorry…" Lily flopped down on her bed as Charlotte stomped off to salvage the rest of her perfume.

The truth was she'd been distracted all morning. Ever since last night she'd been thinking about what Sirius had confessed. He wouldn't talk about it anymore, and she couldn't help but wonder why on earth anyone would fall in love with Edith Baldric. Sure she was beautiful, but she wasn't exactly sunshine and roses behind all that. She and Sirius just seemed so different…

Still, it was fairly clear now why Sirius and James were so bitter toward each other. Yet one thing still remained nagging at the pit of her stomach: why was James so eager to fight back? Lily had tried desperately to push an incriminating piece of evidence, but it was resurfacing now to haunt her. James had kissed Edith, and passionately at that. It burned Lily to think about, but there was no avoiding the truth.

Lily flopped down on her bed. "Charlotte…?"

Charlotte was shuffling around her bed, reorganizing some of her trinkets. "What?" She didn't bother turning around. A few bottles of nail polish clinked as she lined them up by color on her nightstand.

Lily could feel herself flushing, and was thankful Charlotte wasn't watching her. "What do you know about James and Edith?"

"What do you want to know?" Lily could practically see her smirk, despite her turned back.

"…Everything."

Charlotte set down a nail polish bottle and turned around on the floor, curling her legs beneath her. "Well…" She shook the blonde curls from her face. "Other than the _engagement_, I know they've been seeing each other off and on. Pretty much when Edith feels like it."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "When _Edith_ feels like it?"

Charlotte shrugged. "She's a seventh year, gorgeous, rich, _and_ she plays Quidditch. 100 enviable material. Would _you_ say no to that?"

Unfortunately, she couldn't disagree.

Charlotte's eyes softened momentarily and she sighed at the look on Lily's face. "Look, Evans…you have to face the reality at some point. Regardless of what he feels for you, in James' world things are different. You would have to be a part of it to understand it. There are rules to follow. Certain things are acceptable and certain things aren't."

"Certain things like me."

Charlotte shrugged. "You aren't the only one who falls in that category now." She turned back to her little project.

Lily flushed. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to—"

"Please, Lily. It's old news. What's new, however, is you and Sirius Black." Charlotte stood up, admiring the finished product of her organizing and turned to Lily, smirking.

"Believe me…there's nothing there. New or otherwise." Frowning, Lily folded and refolded the shirt in her hands.

"Right. Because he's in love with Edith."

Lily dropped her shirt and glared at Charlotte. "How did you know that?"

She scoffed. "Please, Evans. _Everyone_ knows that Sirius Black and Edith Baldric were to be married. James and Edith dating openly last year was the biggest scandal. And then when the new engagement was announced this year, no one could shut up about it. Besides that, the Blacks basically disowned Sirius."

Bloody hell. Lily blanched.

"God, Lily." Charlotte simply looked disgusted. "Are you aware of _anything_ that goes on at this school? You _are _a prefect."

"It's not exactly the most social post…" Lily mumbled, stuffing another cloak into her overflowing suitcase. She flicked her wand and sealed the bag shut, whisking it off the bed and over to the door so that she could flop down face-first on her bed.

"Well _now_ I know why you've been so damned moody lately," Charlotte sneered down at her. "You're caught in the middle of two boys fighting over a girl."

Lily snorted into her pillow.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. "Your knickers are all twisted because that girl isn't you."

Lily was silent.

Charlotte pursed her lacquered lips. "Bit self-centered, isn't it?"

--

The trip to her parent's house was long and quiet. Not peaceful, however, because she couldn't shake what Charlotte had said. She wasn't being egotistical, was she? Was she really angry because James and Sirius weren't fighting over her?

Fog billowed eerily past her window as the train zoomed along the tracks. It finally came to a creaking halt at the station, and she grabbed her bag from the overhead rack. Now that she was home, she had other things to worry about— like her father's unemployment. It was something she wasn't looking forward to confronting her parents about.

"Msh—sntsnd—" the conductor's voice crackled over the intercom, indistinguishable as usual. Lily was the only passenger who seemed to need this stop. She didn't want to risk anyone seeing Rue, so she sent him to her parents on his own. The long flight would do him some good.

Lily wasn't keen on walking in this part of town, but she also didn't have the change for a taxi. Cabbies in Spinner's End weren't likely to accept Wizard Money, although they accepted almost everything else. She hobbled down the busted pavement in the dark past several shattered lampposts. It was silent— no one fooling around on Christmas Eve.

Thankfully, the Evans' home wasn't too far from the train stop, and Lily arrived promptly on her doorstep, dropping her bag with a thud. She may have been a prefect, but unfortunately that didn't give her the ability to use magic outside of school— yet.

There was a soft pattering behind the painted red door. The porch light switched on and the scraggly looking wreath quivered, bits of snow littering the steps. And then the door flew open.

"Lily! My Lily!" her mother cried, squeezing her tight. She was in her Mrs. Claus apron and a cloud of flour and cinnamon filled the air.

"Mum!" She buried her face in her shoulder, not caring that she probably looked like a powdery ghost now. "Dad!" she exclaimed, running to greet her father who'd just shuffled around the corner.

"Darling!" Her father embraced her. Lily frowned. He felt much thinner. She pulled away and examined his kind face. Many more grays had sprouted. "How is school?"

"Eh…same old…"

"Lily?" Petunia rounded the corner. She'd sprouted again and had grown even taller. "What did you bring me?"

Lily frowned. "Nice to see you too."

"Come on now!" Their mum scurried back into the kitchen. "I need to finish before everyone gets here."

Lily furrowed her brow. "Mum, you are losing it." She dropped her bag on the couch and headed to the sink to wash the flour off. "Everyone _is_ here—"

The doorbell rang.

Lily turned on her heel. "Who else did you invite?" she frowned and wandered back into the living room, flinging the front door open.

"Evening." James Potter tipped an invisible hat and grinned.

Lily slammed the door and spun around.

"Who is it, dear?" her mother called from the depths of the kitchen.

"Er…a…solicitor!" She could hear James' muffled protests.

"Really?" her father walked past the kitchen doorway and grabbed the eggnog from the fridge. "Odd. It's Christmas Eve…"

"Yes…er…heh heh. Strange." Lily cracked the door open and glared at James. "_What are you doing here?_" She hissed.

"It's not polite to go slamming doors on people's faces, you know," he chided. He was carrying a giant gaudy bouquet of flowers.

"You…you brought me flowers?" Lily glared incredulously.

"They aren't for you," he said haughtily. "They're for your mum." He grinned again. He looked quite…normal in Muggle clothes.

"You look pale."

"It's flour." Lily narrowed her eyes. "You need to leave."

"I don't think so. I was invited." He made to push his way in, but Lily blocked him.

"No! You need to leave now. This isn't a game, James. This is my family."

"I'm aware of that," he frowned, equally irritated with her accusation. "I made a promise."

"Yes. You did. To Edith Baldric."

"I don't want to think about Edith." He brushed the thought away with a hand. "My parents aren't even here. They're in France. Can't I just have a normal bloody holiday for once?"

"No!" Lily tried to slam the door again, but just then her mother appeared.

"Jamie!" she burst past Lily with open arms. "You made it! Lily, don't be rude. Don't leave him standing out in the cold."

"Oh, thank you Mrs. Evans," James flashed his best smile.

"Now, James, we've been through this. Call me Annabelle. Oh! Are these for me? What a darling!"

Lily gaped as her mother ushered him off towards to the kitchen table. Grumbling to herself, she trailed into the kitchen and flopped down in her seat.

"Lovely place, Mr. Potter," James said amiably, sitting right next to Lily.

"Please, call me Henry," her father beamed, eyes darting between James and his daughter. He chuckled to himself. "I'm just so happy to see our little girl finally bring someone home."

"_Dad_," Lily hissed. "I didn't bring him home," she grumbled, fluffing her napkin bitterly.

"Now, you're from Hogwarts too, I presume?"

Years of mingling with socialites had done James wonders. He could say or do no wrong. Only Petunia was wary of him and the subtle winks he kept throwing in her direction. "I am."

"He flies a broomstick." Annabelle pointed out, proud as if he were her own son. Lily's stomach did a somersault.

"Er…it's called Quidditch, actually," James grinned, taking a bite of mashed potato. "I'm the captain of the team."

"Oh, really now?" Henry marveled through a mouthful of turkey. He was an avid sports fan himself. "Anything like football?"

"Sort of…" And at that point, James and her father became lost in a deep conversation about the history and inner workings of Quidditch.

Lily slouched deeper into her seat, pushing the peas and potato together around the plate with her fork. Her parents grinned and chuckled at every quip that slipped expertly from James' smiling lips. If only they knew. How could he just show up here, after everything that had happened, and act so nonchalant? If anything, this only confirmed her worst suspicions about James Potter.

"—Right, Lily?"

Her fork stopped scraping at the plate. She lifted her head. "Er…right. Yeah."

"Oh, how marvelous!" Annabelle screeched. "What a sweet thing to do, Lily!"

"Er…what?" Lily paled. What had she just agreed to?

James grinned and continued. "And that's not even the best part. After she made that beautiful candlelight dinner and confessed her feelings for me, she released the fairies."

"The _fairies_?" Lily choked on her eggnog.

"Oh, the fairies!" Annabelle clasped her hands excitedly.

"Yes," James winked at Lily. "She spent weeks training them to spell out '_I love thee, James, with all my heart'_ in the night sky." He swept the air before him distantly with a hand, a glazed look in his eyes.

Her mother burst into tears.

"Oh, God, _Mum_," Petunia rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry-" she sniffled, "that was just so beautiful! I didn't know you had such a romantic streak, Lily!"

Lily cleared her throat. "Yes, well," she said through gritted teeth, shooting James the darkest look she could conjure, "What can I say? I just _love_ this bloke." With that, she dug her heel into James' foot and stabbed his thigh with her fork.

James groaned and buckled forward, but saved himself by making it look like he was reaching for the punch.

Henry smiled. "Well, dear, I must say I approve! James, you're a lovely young man!"

"Er…Thank you, Henry," he croaked, catching Lily's eye. He grinned mischievously.

"I suppose we'd better clear the table!" Annabelle stood, but James immediately leapt up.

"No, no! Please, let me." He began stacking the dishes expertly in his arms.

"James, you're a guest!" Henry protested.

"It's the least I can do."

"Well, thank you!" Annabelle shot Lily and approving look.

"I'll help," Lily said quickly, ushering her parents and Petunia out into the living room. Once they were settled on the couch, she whirled around and stomped back into the kitchen. "Just _what_ are you playing at, James?"

James' back was turned and he was already scrubbing the dishes in the sink. "I'm just having a bit of fun, Lils."

"FUN?" she slammed the glasses onto the counter. "You call humiliating me fun?"

"Lily," he turned to her. "You were the one who asked me to play your boyfriend. I'm staying in character."

"In-charac-" she stammered. "That was ages ago! _Why_ are you here?"

James was silent, flipping on the water. "Just…wanted to see you for Christmas."

"_Please_," Lily crossed her arms and leaned her back against the counter next to James. "You saw me at your little engagement party. Congratulations, by the way." Feeling fidgety, she snatched the dishtowel and began drying.

James grunted.

"Do you love her?" Lily asked suddenly, violently chafing a plate.

The plates James was holding clattered in the sink. "What sort of bloody question is that?"

"A valid one," she grumbled, heat rising in her stomach.

He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about Edith."

"Well then what _do_ you want to talk about?"

"How long have your parents been married?"

She scoffed. "Don't change the subject, James."

"I told you I don't want to talk about Edith. Now answer my question." He glared sideways at her. "Please. Lily, it's Christmas."

Lily eyed him a moment then sighed. "About twenty years I think."

"That's good. Really good."

The water trickled slowly from the faucet head. Lily dried another plate and stacked it on the counter, her anger ebbing. "How about yours?"

He shrugged. "Sixty-three years and two months."

"Wow." She frowned. "You remember that?"

He shrugged again. "It's important, don't you think? How long you spend your life with someone."

Lily stared at the water spots on the glass in her hand. "I suppose…" She glanced up to find him staring at her. "Although, it seems like it's more important to focus on how you spend those years. Does time really matter?"

James smirked. "If you don't have much of it, yeah." He went back to scrubbing.

"You know," she changed the subject and turned around to face the counter. "I don't think I've ever seen James Potter raise a finger to do work."

He grimaced and splashed her with soapy water.

"James!" she shrieked, throwing the towel at him. "You prat!"

He stared at her blankly and splashed her again.

Lily gasped and leapt at him, reaching into the water herself, but James was too quick; he snatched her around the waist and lifted her off the ground.

"Let me go!" she yelled, giggling and beating him with a wooden spoon. "Jaaames!"

"Liiily!" he mocked, swinging her around.

"Everything alright in here?" Annabelle's voice came from the doorway. Her eyes sparkled, as if she'd seen something warm and all too familiar.

James dropped Lily who was still giggling, thick red locks in a tangled mess. "Erm…yes, Mum," she replied, blushing.

Annabelle examined her kitchen; all of the clean dishes were covered in soapy water again. "You two are making more work for me," she scolded with a smirk.

"Sorry, Annabelle," James cleared his throat. "Ow!"

Lily had whapped him with the spoon when her mother wasn't looking. "We'll clean it up, Mum."

"No, no," she ushered them toward the living room. "Presents!"

The family piled onto the couch, James and Lily on either arm of the sofa. Petunia began rifling through the gifts. "Crackers first!"

"Um…I'm full, no thanks," James held up a hand when Petunia shoved a wrapped purple tube at him.

"No, silly," she rolled her eyes. "It's like a gift. You pick a partner and rip it open. You know 'Crack!'" Petunia threw her arms apart to simulate the explosion.

"It's a lowly Muggle tradition," Lily said sternly. "Can you indulge us a moment?"

James grinned. "Only if you do it with me."

Lily stood up and took the other end of the cracker.

"1…2…3!" Petunia cried delightedly.

The tube exploded everywhere, candy and toys scattering across the floor. Petunia snatched them up in a heartbeat. Lily leaned down and picked up the purple paper crown and fixed it atop James' mussed dark head. "There," she smiled. "Perfect."

"Oh, pictures!" Annabelle leapt up, scrambling for her camera. "Against the mantle. Scoot!" She brushed them together against the fireplace.

James and Lily stood stiffly beside the gnarled Christmas tree, James' purple crown askew.

"Closer! I can't get you both in the shot," Annabelle complained.

"James and Liiily sitting in a tree…" Petunia danced around singing

"Come on now, Annabelle," Henry said gruffly, trying to snatch the camera from her. "Don't embarrass them."

"Henry, stop it. This is a beautiful moment. Relax."

"K-I-S-S-I-" Petunia circled the tree, throwing candy.

Lily sighed, flushing with embarrassment. "Mum, please—" The commotion grew in the cramped little living room, her parents arguing voices colliding with the cheesy Christmas music coming from the record player. Petunia continued to tease them, skipping by and plopping a crumpled yellow crown on Lily's head. "I'm sorry…God this is embarrassing," she mumbled to James

He just smirked.

"I am calm, Annabelle," Henry folded his arms and grumbled. "I just want to make sure the lighting is proper."

"Closer! Act like you like each other now!" Annabelle sang, peering through the viewfinder.

Lily flushed suddenly as she felt James' arm slip comfortably around her waist. He pulled her gently against his side. Lily looked up at him, but his eyes were on the camera. Flustered, she turned just in time for the flash.

"Lovely!" Annabelle cried.

"I'm not sure that will turn out. You didn't have enough backlight."

"Backlight! Oh please, Henry…"

James didn't let go of her. Instead, he tipped his head and caught her gaze. Lily stared back, her green eyes wide. James leaned in, making her heart leap into her throat. But he didn't try to kiss her. He just smiled, a genuine kind smile, and whispered, "This is nice."

It took a minute for Lily to find her voice, so she just nodded in response.

"Desert! Let's eat before it crawls away," Henry joked, stomach focused on the kitchen.

James let go of Lily and turned to the family. "I'd better go. I've got a long trip home. Broomstick, you know."

"You flew your broom all the way here?" Lily frowned.

"Long flights clear my head." His gaze lingered on Lily a moment.

"Oh," Annabelle raised her eyebrows. "Well, thank you for coming!" She scooped James up in a hug.

"Thank you for having me," he said. He turned and shook Henry's hand. "And you, sir."

"Lovely chat. Interesting sport that Quidditch. Perhaps I'll see you in that World Cup one of these days," he gripped James' hand firmly.

"One can only dream," James sighed.

"I'll…walk you out, James," Lily said softly.

Outside it was cold and dark. The street was poorly lighted. In the distance, the cannery clunked and churned; steam billowed into the inky sky and hid the stars from view. No rest for the weary. At Spinners End, even Christmas Eve was a workday. Lily shifted on the snowy doorstep awkwardly.

There were no carolers' songs or dim candles at their neighbors' doorsteps. Lily felt somewhere at the back of her mind that she should be embarrassed, but she was tired of that, and she couldn't muster the energy to care. She was focused only on the boy at her doorstep, who in this dim light looked like a grown man. His angular features were emphasized by the shadows, and his hazel eyes blazed.

"Happy Christmas, James," Lily said tentatively.

"Happy Christmas," he smiled, taking a step closer.

She could smell cinnamon and apple wafting through the crack in the door. "I actually…had a really good time tonight."

"Me too," he grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "I really like your family."

Lily frowned. "Even Petunia?"

"Even Petunia," he laughed, taking another step closer. "But…"

Lily stood very still as he reached out and brushed a lock of auburn hair back behind her ear.

"I especially like you," his eyes sparkled.

Lily laughed. "You're a prat."

"I know. But I'm a marvelous, sexy prat." He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her body up against his own.

"Right," she peered up at him, suddenly very aware of his warmth.

James leaned in, tightening his grip on her. Lily kept her gaze steady on his, unaware of the icy cool air or the snow that had begun to fall around them. She reached up and tugged on the collar of his jacket, tightening the scarf around his neck, her fingers lingering on the warm wool.

"You should keep warm on your ride home. You could catch a cold…"

James didn't respond, he just watched her with those sparkling hazel eyes.

Lily blushed and stood on her tiptoes, giving James a small kiss on the cheek. He stared at her, amazed. "I'm sorry we've fought so much. Good luck…with everything," she said quickly.

"Lily…" James caught her hands in his as she was pulling them away. His eyes darkened with intent and he leaned in-

"SHE'S OUT HERE SNOGGING HER BOYFRIEND STILL! WANT ME TO GET HER?"

Lily thought she might die. Actually, she wished she could die. Damn Petunia!

James grinned. He had already taken a step back. He gave Lily a smirk. "I'd better get home."

"Right. Good night then." Lily hurried to through the door awkwardly.

"Night," James gave her one last glance before the door shut with a jingle.

Lily pressed her back to the cool wood and slammed her head against it three times. When she peered out the curtain, James was gone. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"What a sweet young man."

Lily opened her eyes to meet her mother's. "Mum…"

Her mother had stars in her eyes. "You know, you two would make _lovely_ children."

"MUM!" Lily shrieked. She sighed and flopped down on the sofa, then looked back over her shoulder at her mother. "Mum…"

"Yes, darling?"

"Er…what happened with Dad?"

Her mother smiled, shooting a quick glance into the kitchen where Petunia and Henry were eating desert. "What do you mean?"

"His job, Mother. What happened?"

She shook her auburn locks, exactly like Lily's, and waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about that. Things will be patched up in no time. I'm sure it was a misunderstanding. You know, sometimes these things happen around the holidays. It is a slow year, after a-"

"Mum," Lily pleaded.

Her mother stopped herself, heaving a sigh that made her eyes glisten ever so slightly. "I don't know…it was very sudden."

"So…" Lily stared at her open palms. "What does that mean?"

Her mother shrugged dejectedly. She plopped down uncharacteristically beside Lily. "I don't know." She looked her daughter in the eye.

They sat there for a while in silence, perhaps contemplating entirely different things. Lily, for one, felt a dawning sense of guilt. And as the night grew later and she crawled into her bed, she couldn't help but think that she'd brought this on somehow.

Had James' father really done something to interfere with her father's job, or was he simply a savvy businessman taking credit for circumstances beyond anyone's control? Lily feared that there was only one reason for his reaction, and that reaction could only come about if someone had tipped him off.

Which led Lily to her next, somewhat satisfying conclusion: Lily intimidated Edith. If Edith truly thought Lily was a threat and went to James' father about it, then Lily was in luck.

As she drifted off to sleep, Lily dwelled peacefully on one thought:

She had the upper hand.


	21. Dangerous Games

**A/N: I just needed to say thank you to Vintage BlueJeans for being the most loyal reader! You're so sweet and I always look forward to getting your reviews! Also, MidnightWolf, you completely made my day by reviewing each chapter- I adore that sort of feedback and it's rare. You guys make me feel really good :) **

**So this (relatively) prompt update is for you guys, and everyone else who reviewed! You guys are the sweetest! I hope it lives up to standard. **

**Also, I took some good advice from a reviewer, and changed the category of my story ;) So thank you for catching that!**

**--**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Dangerous Games**

"It was _awful_," Charlotte groaned, kicking a stack of clothes across the room. "Everything I got for Christmas was from the second-hand store! _Gross_."

"How tragic," Lily didn't bother to feign interest. She was scribbling a letter at her desk. There had been an owl waiting for her the moment she returned, and she beamed with delight when she saw who the sender was.

_Lily! It's been too long. I'm glad to say things at home are well, and I've picked up my old position at the Ministry. However, I hate to tell you this news…I won't be returning to Hogwarts. My services are no longer required. Though I have been working on a few freelance articles for the_ Prophet_. They've already printed one! Just between us, I've been working on an investigative piece. It was actually inspired by what happened to my Uncle Vane's company- Charlotte's father, you know. Maybe you'd be able to help me out, as the Vanes still aren't on the best terms with the Mottlebums._

_Much Love, _

_Melinda_

Happily, Lily began penning a reply. She was more than willing to give Melinda any help she needed after everything she'd done for Lily. She'd nearly forgotten that Melinda was cousin to Charlotte…Perhaps her family had been affected by the selling of the Vane cauldron business as well. Unfortunately, Madeline's family had— her father had been sacked— and she still had not returned from Christmas break…Lily was beginning to wonder if she even would.

Just then the door clicked and Helen and Florence sauntered in, dressed in newfound confidence. They sent Charlotte a withering glare and then went to their corner of the dormitory. Charlotte kicked the stack of second hand clothing under her bed quickly and folded her arms nonchalantly.

"Anyway," she changed the subject. "How is Sirius these days?"

Lily noticed Helen and Florence's ears perk up a bit. "I wouldn't know," she glowered, rolling up the parchment and tying it to Rue's outstretched leg.

"Hmph." Charlotte examined a nail. "Right. You know…you used to be such a different person, Evans."

Lily tightened the twine and sent Rue on his way. "What's that supposed to mean?" she replied testily.

"Well," Charlotte tipped her blonde curls thoughtfully. "You were so much more…uppity. You know, 'I'm the best! I'm a prefect!' and all that. Not so much anymore. Granted you were obnoxious as all hell, but to be perfectly honest, you've sort of lost that…_spark_, Evans."

Lily blanched. "That _spark_?"

"You know," she waved her manicured hand, "that drive. All you used to care about was being a prefect and whatnot. Now all you care about is Potter."

Lily look affronted. "James Potter is _not_ all I care about! In fact— I don't care about him." She folded her arms stiffly. She was getting _this_ from the girl who cared for nothing beyond curl serum and designer nail files.

"Uh-huh," she replied blandly. "That's why you've been calling out his name in your sleep."

Lily nearly toppled out of her chair. "I have _not_!"

"No. You haven't," Charlotte shrugged. "But you might as well have been with all the dreamy looks you keep shooting him in class."

"Oh please." Lily felt a tad bit relieved. Good lord, if she _had_ been calling his name…

"I'm just saying…" Charlotte went back to unpacking.

Lily's fingers tapped softly on the stack of blank parchment before her. She couldn't shake the strange feeling that had just come over her. Had she really gone soft? Heat began swelling in her chest. When was the last time she'd gone to the library to study for her N.E.W.T.S.? She wanted a career and a life beyond this, and she wasn't going to get that by dwelling on James Potter.

She sighed deeply to herself. After all, it wasn't as if she was in _love_ with him or anything…Lily flicked a bit of dust from her desk and rested her chin in her hand. She'd been tangled up in James' business for so long now she'd forgotten herself. Charlotte was right…Lily wasn't a part of that world and she needed to come to terms with that.

It was over, after all. Christmas with James had been nice, but it was a bit of a fantasy suspended in time, wasn't it? He had obligations.

There was no turning back from that now.

--

Things were strained between the Marauders; that much was clear at lunch the following day. Sirius and Remus sat together, while at the opposite end James dined with Peter and, much to Lily's dismay, Edith. Sirius kept shooting unsubtle glances at James and Edith while Remus just gazed off into the distance.

Lily jabbed her food robotically, watching them from the Ravenclaw table.

"Lily. _Lily_."

"Hmm?" Lily turned her head.

Mila gave her an exasperated look. "What is the matter with you? You've been acting strange all day…"

"It's true," Charlotte agreed, taking a bite of salad. "You didn't even raise your hand in Potions today. You always raise your hand in Potions. It's like some sort of compulsive tic."

"Mmm," Lily mumbled, sipping her pumpkin juice. "Just have a lot on my mind."

"Well, spill it," Mila glared. "Don't leave us in the dark. You haven't even told us about your Christmas yet."

Charlotte eyed Lily briefly and then took another bite of salad. She must have had some idea about what went on at the Potter's home; she was there after all.

"Nothing happened. It was supremely dull." Lily poked her bread.

"I don't believe you," Mila frowned, taking another bite.

Lily didn't respond. The three of them sat there eating in companionable silence for a bit. She took a sip of juice and stared at Charlotte and Mila.

For the first time in weeks, something occurred to her: she had friends. Here she was, halfway through the school year she thought would be complete hell, and the two most unlikely people had turned out to be the two who provided the most comfort. Why shouldn't she be confiding in them?

"You're right," Lily said suddenly, laying down her fork. "Some things did happen over holiday—"

But the fluttering of wings interrupted. Their plates were showered in feathers as Rue landed inelegantly on Charlotte's tossed salad.

"Ew!" she screeched, shooing Rue away. "Ugh, _Lily_!"

Lily ignored her and took the parchment that was wrapped around Rue's ankle, unraveling it at the table. She gasped.

_Miss Evans, _

_Alexandria's Fine Fittings is pleased to have received your final payment for the outstanding balance in question. We would like to take this moment to wish you the best and thank you for your patronage. We would also like to take this opportunity to let you know about our latest offer! Wizard Credit is the best form of gold these days, and with an Alexandria's account, you can shop at your leisure!_

_We have also enclosed a 10 off coupon good in any Alexandria's shop. Good day, and Happy Shopping! _

_Sincerest regards, _

_The Alexandria's Family _

Lily blanched. But her debt was thousands! How could it possibly be paid? She'd plotted it out, and it would have taken her years!

Charlotte snatched the coupon that had fluttered to the table. "Can I have this?"

"Sure…" Lily said distractedly.

Mila frowned, peering over her shoulder. "Wow. Congratulations. You must have been working hard."

"What's this?" Charlotte frowned. Something was scrawled in ink on the back of the coupon. "'Happy Christmas, Lils?' _I'm_ they're best customer! How come I never got a personalized coupon?"

Lily blanched. "Er…right…" She stood up suddenly and her plate cleared itself. "I—I have to go."

Lily ignored their odd looks and walked hurriedly toward the double doors. She glanced back at the Gryffindor table and caught James eyeing her. His expression was unreadable. She looked away quickly and fled the room.

--

The weeks passed by, and January became February. Lily's seventeenth birthday came and went, and her thoughts shifted between school and her prefect duties. In those passing weeks, Lily didn't see much of anyone. She was busy catching up in her classes, which had become increasingly difficult. She didn't even have time to think about James.

In fact, she hadn't seen much of him at all…or Sirius for that matter. She'd seen bits of Remus and Peter in passing, but they all seemed to be living separate lives. Sixth year seemed to have ripped them apart, and Lily couldn't help but feel partially responsible.

Finally, after a few weeks, her solitude was broken. Lily was fumbling with something in her bag when she jumped at a slender shadow looming over her.

"Lily."

Books and quills went flying. "Bugger," she muttered, crouching down to clean up her mess. Bending to help her was Remus Lupin.

He handed her a few pieces of the parchment abashedly. "Sorry about that."

"Oh…" she laughed nervously. "That's all right…"

Remus hovered a moment, staring awkwardly at his feet.

Lily cleared her throat. "Well…it was nice to see you. Maybe we can get together to study for the Arithmancy exam. I'm pretty behind—"

"Yes!" He burst suddenly, "Er…I mean, I'd like that."

"Er…okay. Great! Well…bye then!" Lily stuffed the last of the parchment in her bag and slipped past him. Strange…

But she didn't have much time to ponder, because she nearly ran into the burly frame of Eric MacLean. "Evans! Just the girl I was looking for," he said fiercely, grasping her shoulders.

"Erm…why?" Lily replied nervously.

"Prefect meeting at 3 sharp. We'll be discussing Campus Cleanup." He shuffled past her. "Don't be late!"

Lily frowned. This was the fourth meeting in two weeks, and she was getting particularly tired of seeing Edith Baldric's perfect face. She was never outright rude to Lily…no, that wasn't the problem…it was that she was sickeningly _nice_.

Nonetheless, she had to go. So, she forced a smile on her face and plopped down next to Mila. Remus, she noted, did not show up. It was a little irritating, actually—she'd just seen him in the halls that morning. In fact, it was the third meeting he'd missed in a row!

The other prefects slowly filed into the room and seated themselves in a circle. When Edith arrived, she swept past Lily gracefully and gave her a syrupy smile. "Hello, Lily," she simpered. "Mila."

Mila just glared stiffly, perfectly aware that Edith had been James' date to the Yule Ball. It pleased Lily to know that Mila was loyal.

"Right then," Eric bellowed. "Let's get started! So Edith and I have paired you up by house and assigned specific duties for the Campus-wide Cleanup. We have a list of students who signed up to assist you prefects, and we've divided them up as well.

Slowly, Eric began reading off the names and who would be paired with which student helpers. Once the prefects had their assignments, they filed out of the room. Mila passed Lily and gave her an encouraging smile. Soon, it was Lily left alone.

Eric examined his list. "Hmm…Evans…Evans…well, Lupin has been sick the past few meetings, so we didn't assign any students to you."

"But don't worry, Lily," Edith added breezily, "I've got the perfect job for you."

"Right," Eric agreed, handing Edith the clipboard. "I've got to suit up for practice, but you go on ahead. Cheers, Evans."

"Erm…" Lily held up a hand in protest, but Eric had already lumbered out the door, humming a Quidditch chant. She turned sourly back to Edith and folded her arms.

Edith just smirked. "You'll be scouring the bleachers on the Quidditch pitch. I think you'll find the job hasn't been tended to in decades."

"Isn't that _Filch's_ job?" she said through gritted teeth.

Edith waved a hand dismissively. "Yes, well, you know how busy he is, Lily. After all, this program was designed to give students the opportunity to pitch in with the grounds keeping."

"Then why am I the only one assigned to the grounds?"

"Lucky draw," Edith's lips twitched.

Lily was ready to lunge. "Fine. I'll just get started, shall I?"

"Oh, good. I'll meet you down there. I'm watching James' practice today."

"Oh, _good_." Lily snatched up her book bag and stomped out of the room.

How perfect, she thought bitterly, scrubbing the entire bleachers with one wand. This was going to be a night to remember.

--

After throwing on some old clothes, Lily gathered up her things and headed down to the Quidditch pitch. It was early evening, and the team's practice was nearly over. Lily purposely timed it that way—she wasn't exactly leaping at the idea of having the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team watch her doing the work of a house elf.

With a few buckets and sponges from the kitchens, Lily traversed the grounds until she reached the pitch. Damn. She'd forgotten just how…_large_ the stands were. She dropped the pails at her feet and followed the towering bleachers up to the sky where Hogwarts banners flew brazenly in the cool breeze.

She could hear shouting from the other end of the pitch. Sure enough, James was leading his team in various drills.

He blew a whistle and a line of broomsticks shot across the pitch in a blur of red, then flipped artfully and sped back.

"Good," she heard James shout. "You lot—Jenkins, Burton, Black— other goal post. Let's do some relays."

Obediently, the three swiveled their broomsticks and zoomed to Lily's end of the field. Sirius spotted her and grinned. "Evans!" he shouted down at her, hovering idly. "What brings you out here? Er…" He spotted the buckets. "Have you given yourself detention, then?"

Lily grimaced. "No, thank you. It's Campus-wide Cleanup day. Thank you, Black, for signing up to help," she added sardonically.

He shrugged and did a little flip. "Practice, love." He winked and rejoined his hovering teammates.

Lily grumbled. She began steadily climbing the stands. When she'd reached the top, she accidentally looked down. She swayed and clutched a railing tightly, her stomach giving a little turn. She blinked and spotted Edith across the pitch, sitting comfortably at the foot of some bleachers watching James. Lily's stomach did another somersault and she dropped the buckets haphazardly. With her wand, she filled them each and then charmed them to begin scrubbing around her. On her own hands and knees, she began crawling around, searching for mold to scourgify.

A sudden painful thump to her backside made her reel. Lily whirled around, wand pointed defensively.

"And just what are you doing up here, Miss Evans?" James grinned playfully, tossing the Quaffle up and down in his left hand.

"You ass!" Lily kicked a sponge and jabbed her wand in his direction, rubbing her sore left buttock. "How dare you?"

"Oh, come now, Lily. Is that any way to thank me for you Christmas present?"

Lily frowned and brushed the sticky hair from her forehead. "I—James, I can't accept that gift."

"Why?" He narrowed his eyes suddenly. "Didn't you like it? I thought you hated working at that robe shop."

Lily fidgeted and glanced in the direction of Edith who was now standing and peering inquisitively in their direction, arms folded icily. "Yes, well…James, I think I've taken enough money from you. I really don't want to be in your debt."

He brushed a hand dismissively. "Bollocks. It's not a debt, Lily. It's a gift."

A few of his teammates began hollering for him.

"Right, but…it just doesn't seem appropriate." Lily tightened the scarf around her neck.

"To hell with appropriate!" He seemed a bit angry now.

"OY! JAMES!"

James let out a frustrated yell, tossed the Quaffle up, and spun his broom around, giving it a violent whack in the direction of his anxious teammates. He turned back to Lily. "It's just a gift."

Lily didn't respond. She peered down at the dirty bleachers and sheathed her wand. When she looked up, James heaved an aggravated sigh and flipped his broom around, speeding back to his teammates. Apparently practice was over. James leapt off his broom, and the rest of the team began pulling off their gloves and loading up the balls.

Much to Lily's dismay, Edith was being extremely helpful. She reached out and touched James' sleeve lovingly, then pulled his face down for a quick kiss. James was resistant and distracted. Edith pulled away and shot Lily the most disdainful look before following the team toward the lockers.

Lily sighed and turned back to her cleaning. Like bloody Cinderella…except she'd already missed the grand ball…

Just then the bleachers gave a startling lurch. Lily, crouched next to a bucket, grabbed hold of the bench in front of her. The structure shook again, this time violently. Soapy water went flying and Lily fumbled for her wand, but she wasn't quick enough—the bleachers began rocking dangerously, flinging her body back and forth. She leapt up and grabbed a hold of one of the railings, desperately clinging to the splintering wood, but it was too late; the soap-slicked wood began crumbling beneath her feet. As the entire thing began to collapse, Lily caught a terrifying glimpse of the ground so far below her.

And then she fell.

Lily tumbled through the sky, grasping blindly for anything, but only felt her arms scraping bits of jagged timber.

Then out of nowhere an arm slipped nimbly around her waist, wrenching her back with a jolt. The arm held her firmly to its body. It was then she realized she was atop a broomstick, wobbling through the air dangerously. But they continued to fall, the broom taking a beating against thick beams of wood as the stands came crashing down. Just as they were about to swoop clear of the calamity, a large beam with a yellow and black banner attached toppled from above and slammed into them, snapping the broom in two like a twig. Lily screamed as she and her rescuer plummeted to the earth.

They hit the ground hard with a crack, but whoever had caught her had also broken her fall. Lily blinked through the cloud of dust. She groaned and kicked the debris off of her chest and legs.

"For the love of—Get—off!" a voice beneath her sputtered.

"Oh, I'm sorry—" Lily rolled off the body and gasped to find James grimacing back at her. "James! Are you all right?" He was lying flat on his back, and she began prodding him roughly.

"Oof—! Be gentle…please…" he puffed. He groaned and forced himself up on his elbows.

They were surrounded by logs and crumbled wooden benches, and she could hear people shouting and running toward them from across the pitch.

"Sorry…" Lily brushed the dust from his chest and picked a shard of broomstick out of his tangled black hair.

James caught her wrist suddenly and gripped it tightly. "Are _you_ all right?" His hazel eyes bore into hers.

Lily nodded, her eyes glistening slightly. "I'm fine." She reached up and gently cupped his dirt-smudged face in her palms. "You caught me."

James turned his eyes away abashedly. "Yes, well…" he began gruffly. "You were helpless up there. I had to do something…"

Lily didn't bother to protest his chauvinist words. They were soon interrupted anyway by a loud crack. Eric MacLean had physically lifted a giant log and tossed it into a nearby pile of rubble.

"Are you both all right?" He bellowed, cheeks ruddy and slicked with sweat. The entire Gryffindor team, along with Edith and a few other spectators were right behind him.

One of them, a small first-year girl, shrieked deafeningly. "His _leg_!"

Lily turned her head and blanched. How could she not have noticed before? To her horror, she saw that James' left leg was bloody and awkwardly bent. Jagged bone was protruding through the flesh of his knee.

James swore colorfully and swayed slightly at the sight, grabbing Lily's arm to steady himself.

"Bloody hell, Prongs," Sirius shook his head, crouching down beside him. "That's one for the record books."

"I'm fine," he scowled.

"James!" Edith scrambled forward and dropped to his side, shoving Lily out of the way. "Look at you!"

"We need to get him to the hospital wing," Lily said calmly. James was still gripping her arm.

Edith shot her a withering glare and grabbed James' hand, placing it in her own. "Well we wouldn't if you hadn't been so bloody clumsy!"

Lily gaped. "_Clumsy_? The bleachers collapsed under m—"

"I'll take him," Eric offered, leaning down, careful of James' bloodied leg. He promptly conjured a stretcher, and with the help of Sirius and the other Beater, loaded James on top.

The entire group followed the stretcher up the path back to the castle save for Lily who lingered behind in the rubble. Lily sighed and examined a small scratch on her wrist. Then she peered up at the stands. That structure was solid. There was no reason for it to collapse so suddenly. It felt like the entire earth had been quaking, and violently at that.

No…it wasn't some isolated earthquake. That, Lily concluded bitterly, was magic. And there was only one person Lily could think of that would want her wounded…or worse.

Partway up the path to the castle, Edith's onyx locks shimmered in the sunlight. She turned suddenly, as if sensing Lily's burning stare, and shot her another piercing glare before turning back to dote on James.

It could have been Lily's imagination, or a perhaps a trick of the light, but she could have sworn she caught a small smirk flit across Edith's lips.


	22. Confrontation

**A/N: Thank you all again for the reviews! You guys kick butt ;)**

**Chapter Twenty-two: Confrontation **

Moonlight spilled into the courtyard, illuminating Lily's pale skin. She had propped herself up on the stonewall where the climbing roses had frozen in the winter cold. They were still rich and green, but flowered no more.

It was the perfect place to brood. Perhaps that's why Mila flopped down beside her looking so somber. "Lily…"

"Hmm?" She turned her head reluctantly from the view of the glistening grounds.

"I heard what happened. It took me ages to find you," she said. "Why didn't you come tell me?"

Lily sighed. "I guess I just needed to think on my own for a while."

"Oh, Lily…you can't possibly think what happened is your fault?" Mila set down her book bag, her blonde hair swishing against the cool stone.

"Oh, no. I know exactly whose fault it was."

"What—Lily you can't really blame a thing like that on someone, can you? I mean… It was a freak accident."

Lily stared out across the grounds with a purposeful look in her eye. "Exactly. It had to be magic. Mila, that was a sturdy structure. There's no way it would collapse on its own."

"Lily, I know what you're thinking. Charlotte told me about Edith."

Lily grunted. "You don't know the half of it."

"That would have been some pretty heavy magic, Lily. Someone would have noticed Edith performing a spell like that."

"Okay…so she had someone do it for her."

"Who would agree to that? I mean…they could have _killed_ you!" Mila exclaimed. "Look, Lily, I think you're reading way too much into this. Have you gone to see James yet?"

"…No."

"Well, maybe you should. Just get some sleep and then visit him in the morning."

Lily grunted. "All right." But she wasn't nearly convinced. She knew the culprit, and she wasn't about to let Edith get away with it.

--

The next morning Lily contemplated stopping by the hospital wing, but thought better of it when the image of Edith feeding James with a spoon crossed her mind. So instead she headed to the library to meet Remus.

"Lily!" he said, looking genuinely happy when she arrived with an inordinate amount of books teetering in her clutches. He leapt up and snatched them from her, carrying them in a very gentlemanly fashion.

"Oh…thank you." Lily took a seat and began unloading her book bag. She shuffled through her things looking for an inkpot. When she lifted her head, she spotted Remus staring at her.

He looked away quickly and cleared his throat. "So…"

"Where do you want to start?"

"Er, I was thinking Potions."

"Potions?" Lily frowned. "You aren't even _in_ Advanced Potions…"

"Oh. Right. Er…well, then Arithmancy I suppose." He cleared his throat nervously again and blushed visibly.

"Remus, are you all right?" Lily was genuinely concerned. "You know, you've missed the past few prefect meetings."

"Yes…I'm very sorry about that," he quickly changed the subject, "So, how are you feeling? From the other day, I mean?"

"I'm fine. James…not so much."

"Right," Remus frowned. "Pomfrey won't let him play for two weeks. The break was pretty bad."

Lily jumped. "Two weeks? Isn't the next game against Slytherin on Friday?"

Remus nodded. "Don't think we'll be winning that…"

She frowned and began mindlessly flipping through the pages of her book.

Remus shifted uncomfortably. "Lily…can I ask you something?"

"Sure…" she said distractedly.

"Well…it's just that I don't really have anyone to talk to these days. You know…things haven't been quite right between Sirius and James. It's just put a wedge in everything."

Lily shifted her attention away from the pages and looked Remus in the eye. "Is something bothering you?"

He snorted softly and grimaced at the library table. "More like some_ things_. I…Can I trust you not to repeat this?"

Lily was extremely interested now. "Of course! What it is?"

The bags beneath his eyes appeared more prominent as he spoke, his lips moving against pale skin. "I saw…I saw Sirius. With Edith. They were arguing about some things…I don't think you have to guess what…"

Lily shook her head.

"Sirius saw me. He made me promise not to tell James." Remus fiddled with the corner of his textbook. "The thing is…Edith said something that seemed odd."

"What?" Lily was on the edge of her seat. "What did she say?"

"It was something about her parents. She was saying they were forcing her to be with James."

"Well…we knew that much—"

"No, no…it's what she said afterward…that…it—being with James—was only temporary."

Lily's jaw dropped. "What is _that_ supposed to mean? You don't think that—that she would _kill_ James?" she whispered eerily, paranoia consuming her.

Remus shook his head vehemently. "No, of course not. Sirius may be in love with Edith, but I highly doubt he'd allow his best friend to be murdered. I just wonder what she meant is all. Anyway…I don't mean to burden you with this. Sirius won't speak to me about it. I just…know that you care about James." He looked at her hard, his eyes flickering.

His gaze was so intense that Lily had to turn away. "Right…well…I'll look into it."

"Okay. Thank you, really," he said. "I promised Sirius I would say nothing to James…I made no promises about speaking to you." He smiled weakly.

Lily nodded and stared at her book somberly. "I don't trust her. I haven't from the beginning."

Remus sighed. "I know."

--

Rays of light splayed out across the grassy Quidditch Pitch. The sun was setting and cast a golden hue upon everything. Lily walked purposefully towards the field, swelling with anger and adrenaline.

She squinted into the distance and saw several members of the Slytherin team filing off the grass toward the castle. They were laughing and joking, patting each other on the backs.

Then Lily spotted her: thick black waves tumbling down her back as she pulled a rubber band from her hair. Every bit of Edith glistened in the setting sun. It was no wonder boys couldn't keep their hands off of her.

Taking a deep breath, fists wound tightly at her sides, Lily trudged deliberately toward Edith who was chatting up a couple of her rather large male teammates. She didn't realize how large until she was standing at their feet. They peered down at her grimacing, Beater bats thrown casually over their shoulders. Edith followed their gaze and merely smirked derisively when her eyes landed on Lily.

"Can I help you?" she gave Lily a once over, hardly bothering to turn more than her head.

Lily folded her arms. "I need to talk to you."

Edith exchanged glances with her Beaters and they grumbled something before trudging off. Edith turned and faced Lily. "What?"

"I know you had something to do with James' injury. Just like you had something to do with my father losing his job."

Edith scoffed and removed her Quidditch gloves methodically. "That is quite an accusation. But I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure," Lily fumed. "Just like you care so much for James."

She snorted. "The arrangement has been made, Lily. I'm afraid you can't change that, even if you're in love with him."

"You're clearly _not_," Lily spat. "What is it exactly that you are in love with? His money? The prestige? Or is it a game to you, seeing what it takes to win him for yourself?"

"A game…" Edith sighed airily and waved a hand. "Please, Lily. Give me more credit than that. I have a _great_ interest in James Potter for a number of reasons. Love means nothing in business— trust me, this is the best play for all parties involved."

"Right. And what about Sirius? How does he fit into all this?"

"Sirius," Edith spat bitterly, but her eyes flickered strangely. "Sirius is a fool. He chose a different path, and when the time comes he'll suffer the consequences. I'm _helping_ James—giving him a way out. I can _protect_ him."

"What's that supposed to mean? Protect him from what?" Twilight was upon them, and a cool winter breeze had kicked up. Lily pulled her scarf tighter around her neck.

"What do you _think_?" she said darkly, moving towards Lily, her eyes flashing. "Why do you think his parents agreed to the marriage?" The breeze swept the hair from Lily's cheeks and sent a chill up her spine. Edith smirked. "My family is from a long line of Slytherins who are close enough to the Dark Lord to _offer_ that kind of protection. By my side, James will be safe. That's all his father wants, whatever the price may be."

"You—you call that protection?" Lily stammered, taking a step back from Edith, incredulity filling her emerald eyes. "You'll put James right in the middle of everything! That's not the kind of life James wants! He's a good person and I won't let you do that to him!"

"How do you know what he wants?" Edith snarled suddenly, breaking her composure. "Not everyone gets the things they want in this world, Lily. Not everyone can be so fortunate. Why is James Potter so special? He made a binding agreement with his family."

"If you truly cared about him," Lily shook, "you'd never ask such a horrible question."

"Well," Edith relaxed a bit in the face, still wearing a snarl. "Isn't that pretty to think so. And you care so much about him to know?"

"Haven't you ever been in love?" Lily burst suddenly, admitting something without fully realizing what she'd said. "Sirius loves you, you know. He cares for you. How could you do something so cruel—turn your back on someone who cares so much for you?" Tears were springing to her eyes now. Lily shook her head, thinking about what Remus had told her. What was Edith up to, toying with Sirius? Lily hoped it was dark enough so that Edith couldn't see her crying. Weakness was the last thing she needed to be showing now.

"And what if it doesn't matter what I feel? Hmm?" Edith replied blandly. "It doesn't matter what you feel either. James made his choice—and so did you. Or have you forgotten? You accepted the money that the Potters offered you. Or have you spent all your Galleons so soon?"

Lily narrowed her eyes, striding forward and closing the gap between them so that she was nose to nose with Edith. "You did have something to do with my father losing his job."

"Lily, whatever you think happened, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation." Even in the dark, Lily could see that her eyes were alight with malice. "Like, say, your father is a fool who can't even hang on to a paper-pushing Muggle job."

Lily's fists balled up. "How _dare_ you—"

"Besides," Edith narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, her shapely lips curving, "there's no proving the Imperious Curse."

Lily slapped her. "You _bitch_."

Edith held a hand to her cheek and licked her lips. "You took the money. It's your own fault you can't have James—you have to stay away from him."

"You're right…" Lily nodded. "I did take that money…but I think you'll find Mr. Potter made a rather generous contribution to the International Wizard Hair Follicle Renewal Research Fund. Thinning wizards around the world will be eternally grateful."

Edith's expression contorted with fury. "Well aren't you bloody clever," she hissed, bearing down upon Lily, "You stay away from James. I will make your life a living hell, Lily Evans."

"It's going to take a hell of a lot more than money and trying to throw me off Quidditch stands to scare me away."

"Really? And what makes you think I had _anything_ to do with that?"

"I'm not stupid, Edith." Lily glared.

"Yes. Well, just like certain curses, that is a very difficult accusation to prove. Though I regret James was caught up in the middle."

"I'm so sure… With him out of the way, you're sure to win the match on Friday. Was that part of your plan too? Injure me and hope that James would be brave enough to throw himself in the fray as well?"

Edith laughed humorlessly. "You have quite the imagination, Lily." Her eyes flashed smugly. "But I was with the Gryffindor team and my wand was in my pocket the entire time. So good luck pinning that on me."

Lily stared Edith down. "You obviously don't know me…" Her face was hot. "Because I _love_ a challenge."

She turned and headed back to the castle, leaving Edith to stew in her wake.

--

Scritch-scratch. Scritch-scratch.

Scribbling furiously, Lily brushed her tangled red locks from her forehead, smearing a bit of ink across her cheek. She dipped the quill and continued to scribble.

"And what are _you_ doing, Evans?" Helen frowned, curling her hair in the mirror beside Lily's bed. "It's extremely irritating."

Lily ignored her and continued writing.

Helen sauntered over and nearly tripped over one of the scrolls littering the floor at Lily's feet. She picked one up and examined it. "_Potions_?" Helen sneered. "This is the longest bloody essay I've ever seen."

"That's the fifth scroll," Lily replied distractedly, her head still bent.

Helen cringed and tossed the scroll on her way to the loo. "Right…" she rolled her eyes.

Luckily for Lily, Helen had kindly filled Charlotte's shoes and was doing quite a good job at making her miserable. But Lily had bigger things to think about, and as she learned once before from Charlotte, Helen was all bark and no bite.

Charlotte finally returned from dinner, wearing a strange expression. When she caught sight of Lily, she frowned, hands on hips. "Just _what_ are you doing, Evans?"

"Working."

She gaped. "Exactly how _long_ were you planning on making this essay?" Charlotte lifted the same scroll Helen had thrown, eyeing it distastefully.

"As long as it takes for me to figure a few things out."

"Really?" Charlotte flopped down atop her bed and kicked off her heels. "Writing an essay, Lily? Seems I was wrong about you. You're back to being strange. And a bit peaky…you should really get some sun, you know."

Lily sighed, turning to her. "I just…it helps me think better when I'm working." She frowned suddenly and jabbed her finger at the floor before Charlotte. "Are those new shoes?"

"Er…what?" Charlotte shifted uncomfortably and kicked the sparkly blue heels beneath her bed. "Those old things—?"

Just then, Helen burst from the bathroom, looking haughty as usual. She strode purposefully toward the door, primped and pampered. She jerked to a stop suddenly when something caught her eye. She turned menacingly to Charlotte and pointed at a shimmering blue heel poking out from beneath the bed skirt. "_What_ is _that_?"

Charlotte raised her eyebrows and slid the shoes back out daintily with a toe. "Oh, _these_ old things? I picked them up the other day."

"You—" Helen growled, eyes mere slits. "You—" She threw up her arms exasperatedly and stormed out of the dorm, slamming the door behind her. The entire room shook, and a few things clattered off Lily's desk.

"Let me guess…" Lily rolled her eyes.

Charlotte grinned diabolically. "She's been _dying_ to get a hold of these, ever since she saw them in the _Witch Wardrobe?_ catalog."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "I thought you didn't have any money…"

"Yes, well…" she waved a hand breezily. "The situation has changed a bit."

Lily's eyes lit up. "Charlotte, that's wonderful! So you're father is doing well then? I told you things would start looking up."

She cleared her throat awkwardly and took off her cloak. "Yes. Er…right. Well— What's _that_?" She looked over Lily's shoulder and jabbed her finger accusingly.

Lily followed her gaze and blanched. When Helen slammed the door, the dusty old broomstick she'd confiscated had toppled to the floor from behind the desk. "Oh, er…that's just something I took from a first-year months ago."

Charlotte eyed her strangely. "Aren't you supposed to turn things like that into McGonagall?"

"Er…well…It depends, really."

"I see," Charlotte rolled her eyes and flicked open _Witch Weekly_. "Whatever."

Lily nervously snatched up the broom and stuffed it away.

Then she paused thoughtfully, hand still gripping the smooth wood of the handle. _What if…_

--

There was a loud crash, and then shards of glass and flower petals littered the floor of the hospital wing. Water trickled across the worn floorboards, and James nearly slipped on his one good leg.

"Back in bed this instant, Potter!" Madame Pomfrey cried, throwing a spell at his chest and flinging him back into his cot.

"I won't! This is bloody madness!" he roared. "I'm perfectly capable of flying!"

"Madness, indeed!" Madame Pomfrey tapped the glass shards with her wand and mended the broken vase, setting it daintily back atop the bedside table.

James pouted. "Just cut the damn thing off. I don't need two legs to play Quidditch."

"I'm sure you like to think so, but Mr. Potter there is no one around to impress at the moment— surely not me— so I suggest you lie back down and get some rest!" She said shrilly and turned on her heel.

"Er…" Lily cleared her throat and tapped lightly on the open door. "Am I interrupting?"

James caught sight of her and grumbled, turning his attention back to his lap. "Not at all."

Lily raised her eyebrows and took a seat at James' side. "How are you?"

He just grunted.

"Are you angry with me?"

"That depends." James leaned back and fluffed up his thick dark hair. "Have you decided to accept your gift?"

"The—the gift?" Lily sputtered. "James, I'm talking about your leg—"

He brushed the air dismissively. "I asked you a question."

Lily frowned. "Well…I have no choice. I tried to get _Alexandria's_ to give you your Galleons back, but they weren't too keen on that idea…"

James guffawed. "You tried to— Only you, Lily…You kill me."

"I know. I almost did." Lily knitted her brows together. "I owe you my life, James. What were you _thinking_? You could have been killed…" she trailed off, eyes lingering on his leg wrappings.

James frowned and stared out the window. "I'd do it again."

"No you won't. I forbid it."

James turned and stared at her. He reached a hand out and touched her cheek gently. Lily could feel the skin burn where his palm lingered; it caused her to suck in her breath sharply. He brushed his thumb softly and pulled it away. He held it up to show Lily a smudge of ink he'd wiped from her cheek, eyes flickering mischievously. "'Fraid you don't have a say in how many times I'm allowed to help you."

Lily could feel a smile tugging at her lips. "As long as I don't have to be your slave."

"Well," he said breezily, "we'll see about that."

There was a long pause, and Lily let her gaze wander out the window as well. She hesitated, debating whether to tell James about Edith, but stopped herself each time. For some reason, she didn't want to ruin their companionable silence. Besides…what could he do? Lily, however, had a plan. It was her turn to help James.

"I was thinking…of a way I could pay you back," she said suddenly, turning to meet his warm hazel eyes.

James straightened up and stared at her attentively. "Pay me back?"

"Well…it's the least I can do for you helping me."

James frowned.

--

"Absolutely not." Sirius flung his bat over his shoulder, walking determinedly toward the lockers. He was already in a poor mood from the way Quidditch practice had gone without James—not well.

"That's what James said," Lily grumbled, trying to keep up with Sirius' long legs. "Please, Sirius. It's the only way I can think of to pay James back."

Sirius stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, leaning in so close she could feel his breath on her forehead. "You know, any one of us could have swooped out there to catch you—James just happened to get there first. If…_Jenkins_ had caught you, would you be begging to fill in for him at next Friday's game?"

Lily didn't answer.

"That's what I thought. So no."

"I'm a quick learner!"

"No."

"Just give me a chance. I—I need to show Edith that I'm not weak." Lily blushed.

Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Lily…"

"_Please_, Sirius. You owe me." She watched him carefully.

He rolled his gray eyes and propped his bat up on the ground, leaning sideways on it exhaustedly. He took a deep breath. "All right. You can fill in for James at Friday's game—but that is the _only_ time! And you'd better not get hurt, or he'll have my neck."

"Yes!" Lily leapt up and kissed him on the cheek. She neglected to mention that she'd already run it by James and his response was less than enthusiastic. But he'd be confined to the hospital wing anyway. How would he find out? "Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Come on, I'll take you for a quick test run and we'll see how you do. Just…look out for the Bludger, all right?"

Lily frowned. "Er…which…one is the Bodger again?"

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose. "_Bludger_."


	23. Dark Corners

**Chapter Twenty-three: Dark Corners**

Lily watched Sirius darkly while she strapped on her protective gear. He was James' best friend…would he really do something to hurt him for the sake of Edith? Was Edith really toying with Sirius or did she truly have plans for James? Remus' recollection of Edith's words danced ominously behind her eyes, "…_being with James—was only temporary_…" She shuddered at the thought and snatched up the confiscated broom.

Sirius beckoned her toward the field and she obeyed, treading lightly on the soft green grass, slick with fresh morning dew. The last thing she needed was to break her leg falling too.

"Are you fully prepared for this? Slytherins are known for being brutal." Sirius eyed her with unmasked concern, his left eyebrow cocked slightly.

"Fully," she replied, flinging her broomstick nonchalantly over her shoulder with a clumsy whack. "Ow."

Sirius paled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right. Fabulous. Alright, Lily, let's get started."

He quickly reviewed each ball and its purpose before pulling out the Quaffle. He tossed it lightly into the air for Lily to catch. Although she fumbled with it momentarily, she didn't drop it, and that seemed to please Sirius at least.

The lesson actually didn't go so badly. Granted, Lily walked away with several bruises from the Bludger…and Quaffle…and even the Snitch (somehow), and she couldn't make a goal worth anything, but she could fly. In fact, she maneuvered like a pro, or so Sirius claimed. But Lily wasn't happy with that. What did flying get her if she couldn't even hold onto the ball?

"Don't look so angry. You can't be perfect at everything, you know, but…I think we can use you," Sirius nodded to himself, eyes sparkling with intrigue. "As long as you stay away from all of the balls, you should be fine."

"Um…doesn't that defeat the purpose?" Lily frowned.

"Not at all," Sirius explained. "I need you to be as obnoxious as you can on the field. You're going to get in the other team's way—distract them with your flying, which happens to be top notch."

"Oh." Her chest puffed slightly with pride.

"Don't worry, Lily." He winked. "I think you'll find that being supremely horrible may work to our advantage this time around."

Lily's shoulder's sagged. "Great. Just what I want to be remembered for."

Sirius began collecting the balls. Her eyes flickered toward him conspicuously. He caught her staring and grinned. "Something I can help you with, love, or are you just window shopping?"

Lily blushed in spite of herself and frowned. "No…I…I just wanted to ask you about Edith."

Sirius was still smiling, but his eyes darkened. "What is it?"

"How long has her family been…affiliated with You-Know-Who?"

Sirius grimaced. "We can't talk about that."

"Why not?" Her anger welled. "You would know better than anyone, Sirius. We're talking about your best friend getting tangled up with these people!"

"If I could do something to stop it, I would!" he shouted suddenly. "Believe me," he added, a bit softer.

Lily hung her head. "Sirius…I know you said you think Edith isn't such a bad person, but how can you be so sure?"

He sighed. "Lily, the dealings that go on between pureblood families can't be tampered with. You have to let it go."

Heat began to rise in Lily's stomach. How could he be so dismissive? "What is _wrong _with you?" She slammed the end of her broom into the ground. "I thought you hated your family and everything that the pure-blood wizarding families stand for! Since when do you just stand by and let things like this happen?"

"Since I've been _disowned_, Lily," Sirius hissed through bared teeth.

She froze. "I—I didn't know…"

"It doesn't matter," he brushed it away. "I don't know what goes on anymore, nor do I have the desire to."

Lily bit her lip.

"But I know what _did_ go on, and I can tell you that being a part of the Baldric's family is not the safest option. Look, James did what he did because he cares for you. He's a big boy. He can make his own decisions." Sirius crouched down and shook the hair from his eyes. "And I'm telling you right now to stay out of it, for your own good. A deal has been made between two very powerful families."

Her eyes glinted. "What can we do to keep James away from them?"

"_We_ do nothing," he replied pointedly, slamming the trunk of Quidditch equipment shut. "There's nothing we can do."

--

"CHEERS!"

Butterbeer slopped down Lily's crisp white shirt and she grimaced. "Oh that's wonderful. I just had the house elves press this."

It was the evening before the big Quidditch game, and Lily was stuffed into the common room for a house celebration.

"Lighten up!" Charlotte threw an arm around her, her highly illegal firewhiskey sloshing about, threatening to wreak more havoc on Lily's blouse. "This is a partyyyy!" She whirled away suddenly and was caught by one of the Gryffindor Chasers. Within seconds, they'd disappeared behind a shimmery red and gold banner to…er…exchange niceties.

Lily frowned as she shuffled through the crowd. Someone threw their arm around her and bellowed, "Good luck tomorrow, Evans! Don't screw it up!"

"Gee, thanks," she dusted off her shoulder after he disappeared. Flustered by the commotion, she hardly noticed the angry, brooding stare of James Potter from across the room. He'd apparently been released from the Hospital Wing, and he was lounged against the far wall, a crutch propped up beside him. He wasn't his usual mischievous self, and when Lily caught his eyes, she couldn't take the intensity of his glare and turned elsewhere, a small blush creeping up her neck. Apparently he'd heard the news about her taking his spot on the Quidditch team. And _apparently_, he wasn't too keen on the idea.

"Lily," a voice fluttered by her left ear. She swiveled around to see Sirius winking at her, two small glasses in his hand. "Will you do the honors?"

Her eyes narrowed. "What is that?"

"Pumpkin juice, love," he winked. "The kind they don't store in the kitchens."

"No thank you. It looks highly illegal. I couldn't possibly condone that let alone _drink_ it in front of all my subordinates. You're lucky I haven't turned you in for this party."

"That attitude is exactly why you need it, love. Everyone's rooting for you." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gestured to the crowd. She was suddenly aware that all eyes were on her. The Gryffindor players were all in a circle, small glasses in hand for a ceremonial drink.

"Er…" She spotted James again, eyes so dark they were boring holes in her skull. This was his place, his drink, his team. "I don't think—"

"Come on, love," Sirius whispered suddenly, his lips seductively to her ear, "Take one for the team."

Lily blushed and swallowed hard, eyeing the small glass he'd placed in her hand. His mouth curled in a grin, and he pushed her into the small circle. "Er…"

The entire room chanted the countdown.

"Three…!"

Sirius lit a flame on each glass for the team with one swoop of his wand. Lily gulped and stared uneasily at the bubbling liquid.

"Two…!"

Lily eyed James over the lip of her glass, the small yellow flame dancing before his face.

"One…GRYFFINDOR!"

She swallowed and gasped for air, but when she did so, she immediately regretted it. A raging burn tore through her throat and esophagus, tears prickling in her eyes.

Sirius patted her on the back. "Always hold your breath for at least ten seconds after firewhiskey. Did I forget to mention that?"

Lily glared. "You might have," she choked hoarsely, still massaging her throat. "Whoa." She clutched her head and swayed a bit.

"It's that good," Sirius winked, his arm still around her.

"Cheers!" Peter patted her on the back. "Good luck tomorrow!"

"Yeah, good _luck_ tomorrow, Evans!" A derisive voice burst suddenly from the crowd. James hobbled forward, a drink in hand.

Lily and Sirius hesitated, and his arm tightened around her shoulder. Lily noticed the small smirk forming on his features.

James' eyes narrowed and he let out a snarky laugh. "Were you planning on telling me you wanted to steal my place on the team?"

She broke free of Sirius and glared brazenly at James. "I'm doing this for you, James."

"Oh, for _me_?" he grinned stupidly and swallowed the last gulp from his glass. "How kind of you. But I don't recall asking you to _shag_ my best friend."

The room went silent.

"Watch it, mate," Sirius' voice was deadly.

"Or what?" James turned to him, waving his empty glass in Sirius' face. "You gonna keep screwing everything of mine that comes your way?"

"Look who's talking, _mate_," Sirius snarled, pressing his face up to James'.

Lily pulled Sirius back with some effort. "What's gotten into you?" she hissed to James, feeling a bit lightheaded from the firewhiskey, but James was clearly in worse condition.

"Or rather, _who_'s gotten into _you_?"

Lily slapped him.

James clutched his face. Undeterred, he leaned in with a grin. "There's no way he'd let you on the team unless he thought he could get something for himself."

Despite her best efforts to stare James down brazenly, she could feel the prickle of tears. After everything that had happened, that she was trying to do, he couldn't even give her the benefit of the doubt. He really thought she was so low, so pathetic.

Without another word, Lily turned on her heel and left, angry and humiliated.

"Lily," Peter called after her, but she was already out the portrait hole.

"Let her go," James hollered, "I'm sure she'll find another way to keep herself busy—"

"That's enough, James." A stern voice carried over the crowded room from where Remus stood neatly, his eyes warning.

"You too? Aren't you bored with her yet? It's Sirius' turn now, after all."

The awkwardness that filled the room had sent most of the partiers back up to their rooms save for a curious few.

Sirius snarled at them dangerously. "_Clear off_!" They quickly scurried away as Remus strode across the room towards James.

"You're pissed," he said in disgust.

James swayed slightly. "What gave you _that_ idea, Remy?"

"Sit down," he shoved James onto the couch roughly.

Taken aback, James obeyed, a slightly dazed look about him.

Remus had never looked more wolfish in the orange firelight, casting dim shadows across his weary, handsome features. "Is _that_ how you treat someone you care about? Someone who only wants what's best for you?"

James scoffed. "She's messing with my head."

"_She's_ messing with your head? Do you realize what you've put her through? And she's still kind enough to care about you." Remus shook his head. "Until you wake up and realize what it means to be a man, you'll never have her. You only think she's messing with your head because she's _in_ your head."

The fire crackled, and James stared into it, sobering slightly.

Remus' shoulders relaxed and he stared fiercely down at James. "When you realize why that is, then _maybe_ there'll be some hope for you." He massaged the bridge of his nose. "Until then…I don't want to be around you."

With heaviness about him, Remus strode past Sirius and Peter, both leaning against the wingback chairs. Without a moment's hesitation, they too split up and headed in opposite directions, leaving James alone to his hazy, swirling thoughts.

--

Lily swayed slightly in the halls and caught the cool stone wall to steady herself a moment. She was wandering aimlessly, trying to find her way to Ravenclaw tower in the hopes of running into Mila, but a dizziness was overtaking her and she wasn't all that positive she was going in the right direction.

She tried desperately not to think about James' horrible accusations, and instead focused on moving one foot in front of the other. For some reason, it was becoming increasingly difficult. The firewhiskey was swirling through her body, and the anger was rushing blood to her head; the result was having an adverse effect, and she wasn't feeling too hot.

Trying to blink through the slight haziness, Lily scanned the halls to figure out where she was. By now she hoped that the common room had emptied, and if she headed back she might just be able to slip back to her room unnoticed. The only problem was…

She wasn't quite sure _where_ she was.

Just then, something whisked by her.

Lily blinked and whirled around only to meet emptiness. She scanned the hall for a moment, then clutched her head with a groan. She was going mad. And yet, she had the eerie feeling of being watched, as if something was hovering behind her in the shadows. She heard footsteps nearby, but when she turned, again it was empty.

"Who's there?" She tried to keep her voice calm, but with a spinning head she was unnerved.

"Hee hee hee!" cackled a voice.

Something whisked by her, and she was suddenly hailed by a barrage of chalk. By the looks and feel of it, it appeared to be Hogwarts' entire supply. "PEEVES!" she bellowed, spinning around to catch him. She felt for her wand, but frowned when she realized she'd left it in the common room.

"Little Lily Lilykins, Miss Prefecty-perfecty-prefect!" The poltergeist materialized, spinning around on his head, then flicked another piece of chalk which smacked her right between the eyes. With a poof, he dissipated.

Lily stumbled slightly, muttering curses under her breath as she examined the sea of chalk at her feet, but she wasn't in the mood to clean it up. Not without a wand, anyway. Grumbling, she wiped the white streak from her forehead and started back in the direction she hoped was Gryffindor tower.

Thankfully, the firewhiskey was starting to wear off, and her blurred vision started to clear. But as she stumbled around a corner, her body cracked against a brick wall. She was practically thrown backwards by the force and groaned, massaging her head.

Sniggering filled the air. Since when did walls laugh? Maybe she wasn't as sober as she thought. She blinked through the dim light of the hall and blanched. She quickly recognized the two big Slytherin beaters from the day she confronted Edith on the field, now blocking her path. She blanched, but tried to straighten and look authoritative.

"And what would you be doing out of bed, little miss?" One of them smirked, his lips curling to reveal yellowed, crooked teeth.

The other one stepped out of the shadows. He was shorter and a bit better looking, but Lily wasn't really all that focused on that. She was more concerned with his leer. "Don't you have a game tomorrow?"

She took a step back and puffed up her chest. "The better question is what _you're_ both doing out of bed. _I_ am a prefect."

They looked at each other and guffawed.

"Well, our mistake, madam." The ugly one bowed.

Lily's heart was thudding and she tried to move past them, but the shorter one shoved her suddenly. She stumbled backward into a dark corridor, and her back hit the wall with a thud. "How dare you!" she began to shout, but a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Ah-ah. Too loud. Do that again and we'll have to take something." He hissed.

"What about this," the ugly one reached out and lifted Lily's right arm. "She doesn't need this to play Quidditch, does she?"

Lily jerked her arm free and bit the short one's hand.

He growled in pain and whipped out his wand, shoving it in Lily's face. A little blood trickled down his wrist, his features contorting with rage. "You'll regret that. We'll make sure you never move that pretty little body of yours again."

The ugly one licked his lips, grinning impishly. "Can't we have a little fun with her first?"

"Take your disgusting hands off me," Lily spat. "I'll make sure you're expelled."

The ugly one laughed, then like a rabid dog, snarled and pushed the short one of the way, pulling his own wand on her and wrapped his hand around her throat. "Filthy mudblood, you think you're better than _us_? You're blood is sewage. You aren't worthy of breathing my air." He tightened his grip on her neck and raised his wand. "_Cruci-_"

The ugly one stopped mid-sentence, and turned a stunned face to his wand arm. A hand was wrapped tightly around his wrist, holding it back. Lily's eyes widened.

"Do not," James hissed, "_touch_ her."

"You—" the short one turned and came at James with his wand.

Dropping his crutch, he snagged the collar of the beater's shirt and punched him hard in the face. The Slytherin stopped in his tracks, wavered, and toppled to the floor, blood trickling from his nose.

Before his stunned companion could think to move, James grabbed him as well, jerking him back into the far wall with a crack. His fist met the Slytherin's face, and limply, his body slid down the wall and crumpled in a heap on the floor.

He turned to Lily, eyes shining even in the dim light. "Sometimes hands-on is a more effective method of getting the message across."

Lily clutched her throat and stared at him wordlessly.

James frowned. "A simple 'Thank you, James' would be appropriate."

Glaring, she shoved past him out into the hall. "I had it under control."

"Sure you did." He snatched his crutch and hobbled alongside her.

"How did you find me?" She walked quickly in the hopes he would fall behind, but even with his crutch, his long legs kept to her pace with ease.

"I have my secrets."

"Then go back the way you came. Get away from me."

He chuckled. "You're not still sore about what I said, are you?"

Lily could feel the heat rising. She took a deep steadying breath and tried to ignore his insolence.

"Talk to me."

Again, she ignored him, eyes cast straight ahead.

"Lily."

Silence.

"_Lily_."

She flicked a strand of hair from her eyes indifferently.

Just then, James grabbed her by the wrists and shoved her through the door of an empty classroom, slamming it behind him.

"Let _go_ of me!" she roared, wrenching herself from his grasp. "I think I've been assaulted enough for one day." She turned to leave but he grabbed her roughly, his dark eyes searching hers.

"You love me."

"I don't," Lily hissed. "You're egotistical enough to think that _everyone_ loves you."

"But you want me," he smirked, a bit of his tousled hair dancing in front of his eyes. "Like I want you."

"Wanting and loving are not the same thing, James," she frowned, trying to move past him.

He caught her waist firmly. "What if I do love you? Would you say it to me then?"

"James," Lily shook her flaming hair, "you do _not_ love me." She began to slip free of his grip, but she wasn't quick enough.

James shoved her indelicately into the wall, her back cracking against the stone.

"_Say it_," he growled, a hand placed firmly against the wall on either side of her head. The fingers of his splayed right hand were tangled in her auburn locks, and his face was so close she could see pinpricks of sweat forming at his disheveled hairline. His breath still smelled of the firewhiskey.

"Get off of me." Lily stared him down fiercely, her green eyes burning with anger. "_Now_."

"Not," James whispered, his hot breath tickling her forehead, the scent of whiskey lingering in the air, "until you say it."

"Despite what you may think, Potter," Lily glared, trying to ignore the distance between them, his lean body arched over her, "you do not _own_ my will. You can't treat me like crap one second and then expect me to fall at your feet the next."

Without warning, James lifted a hand from the rough wall and embraced her cheek with surprising tenderness, delicately stroking her flushed ivory skin. His thumb ran softly over her lips, smoothly tracing a path to her chin, which he titled gently upward so that she could not look away. The deep, burning hazel of his eyes was so intense and dark with passion that Lily could feel bits of herself slowly melting away.

"What if," he whispered again, "I do love you…?"

Lily swallowed hard, her whole body hot like fire. "James, I…"

He caught her lips with his, hands cradling her head, fingers entangled in her red locks. Lily grasped one of his wrists with the intention of pulling him away, but she felt suddenly weakened, her desires turning elsewhere.

James kissed her hungrily, pressing his body against hers, desperate to be as close as possible. Frustrated, his hands found her waist, and he pulled her hips into his roughly, a hand grasping her bum. The other traveled up her side and to her neck, only grazing the parts of her that ached to be touched.

Lily closed her eyes as James' kisses ran down her neck and across the tender skin of her collar bone where he stretched the white cotton collar of her shirt as far as it would go without tearing it off.

"James," she groaned, forcing her eyes open. "_James._" Lily gripped James' face hard suddenly, pulling him to meet her gaze. "James." His eyes were still dark, overcome with passion and running purely on instinct. He was breathing hard. "Stop."

He shook his head fiercely, kissing her again. "No."

"James!" She pulled him from her lips, resting her forehead against his. "We can't do this. This can't happen."

"What? This?" James ran a hand up her cheek and tangled it in her tousled hair. "Or us?"

Lily's eyes steeled. "You know the answer to that." She pulled away and frowning.

"Lily, don't."

"James," she looked up and met his pleading eyes. "You can't string me along. It hurts."

"It's not like that—"

"Yes it is!" Lily cried. She turned away and headed for the door. "You're going to marry Edith Baldric."

"I don't _want_ to marry her!" James yelled. He grabbed her arm and jerked her back around to face him properly.

"But you will, James," Lily laughed bitterly. "This isn't your playtime. There are rules to live by, and you made a vow. You can't go back on that, even if you wanted to." She yanked her arm free and jerked open the door.

"Lily—" James snarled.

"Plus," she added bitterly over her shoulder, "You're _pissed_." She slammed the door behind her.


	24. Mind Games

**Chapter Twenty-four: Mind Games **

Lily awoke the next morning to the rustling of paper. Curious, she drew back the drapes around her bed and blanched.

Dress and shoe boxes of every color littered the room, not a bit of the floor visible. Charlotte was in the corner flinging item after item over her shoulders, desperately scrounging for something.

"What…is…going…on?" Lily's jaw dropped. She scanned the room to see if anyone else was concerned with the disaster, but it appeared the two were alone.

Charlotte huffed and glanced briefly in Lily's direction. Her cheeks were flushed from exertion. "I can't find my new shoes."

"Er…which ones?" Lily slid out of bed and tugged on her robe, stumbling over a scaly green handbag.

"The ones _Helen_ stole! I know she did!" she flung her arms in the air, a mildly insane look on her face.

"Maybe you just lost them."

"No, Lily," she turned viciously, "I did not just _lose_ a 3,000 Galleon pair of heels."

"Well then ask for them back."

"HA!" Charlotte bellowed, kicking a box. "You don't ask the Queen of Hogwarts for a pair of stolen shoes. No." She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror which seemed to calm her significantly. She took a deep, cleansing breath. "No, you count your losses and regroup." She spoke like a general in war, eyes narrowed, a clenched fist gesturing to her reflection.

"Right…I've, er, been meaning to ask you…" Lily swallowed, not entirely sure this was the best time. "Where have you been getting all the money for this stuff?"

Charlotte hesitated a moment then tittered. "Oh, Lily, does that really matter? Look! See how fabulous this would be on you." She tossed Lily a set of hot pink robes.

"Er…"

"Keep it! It's a gift."

"This stuff must have cost a fortune, Charlotte!" Lily exclaimed, gesturing to the sea of clothes. "I mean, 3,000 Galleons for shoes? Really? Mine cost eight."

"Well, yes, Lily," Charlotte said gravely, "It shows."

Lily frowned down at her sad, worn sneakers.

"Besides," Charlotte waved a hand dreamily, "I can't possibly lower myself to such standards. I am a Vane, after all."

"Fine. Whatever. Can you at least clean up after yourself?" Lily dropped the bundle of hot pink into an open shoebox and stomped angrily to the loo. Well, it was more of an undignified shuffle, bits of glittery tissue flying with each step.

Charlotte frowned and pursed her glossy lips. She reached down and snatched the robes Lily had discarded. "Well you don't have to be so bloody rude about it!" She waved them pointedly. "I was _trying_ to give you a gift!"

Lily paused at the door and sighed. Slowly, she turned back to Charlotte who was staring at the far wall with her arms crossed, foot tapping rhythmically. "You're right. I'm sorry, Charlotte. I've been in a foul mood. Forgive me?"

Her foot stopped tapping, but she continued to frown at the wall for a moment. Then, tossing the pink bundle aside, she went back to her search. "Whatever. So what's the matter with you this morning?"

Lily's head lolled against the doorframe. "Just…everything."

"By which you mean…?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's stupid."

"Ah-ah!" Charlotte tutted, her blonde curls whipping through the air as she met Lily's eyes. "Does it involve firewhiskey?"

"Somewhat."

"Then it's somewhat interesting. Speak." She waved a commanding hand and went back to her attempts to break into Helen's trunk.

Lily pushed the hair from her forehead, running her hand to the nape of her neck. "This whole thing with James…it's—it's— I don't know how to stop it."

"Did something happen between you two?"

Lily idly kicked a box lid. "Almost."

"I knew this would be interesting. Details."

"Absolutely not!"

Charlotte lifted her gaze slowly from what she was doing, lips curving deviously into a delighted smirk. "You _liked_ it."

"No. He—he's so demanding. He never listens to me!" she stammered.

"Lily," she was still smirking. There was something seductive in her eyes. "Just because he doesn't listen to your words doesn't mean he isn't listening to your body language."

"I…"

She shrugged. "After all, the body never lies. James is reading you like a dirty magazine, and let me tell you, it's not just for the 'articles'."

Lily was blushing furiously now, unable to make eye contact. "_Charlotte_…"

"It's _true_. And you love it!"

"I don't!"

"_Liar_."

"Can we please talk about something else now?" she rounded the corner and snatched her toothbrush from the counter.

"Sorry, I don't think anything could top this conversation," Charlotte wandered in beside her and began primping to her reflection. "Lily the prefect: not so perfect."

Lily ground the foaming toothbrush harder into her gums, trying to tune her out. She spat and rinsed, a thought suddenly springing to mind. Delicately, she tapped the brush dry, peering at herself in the mirror. "Actually…there is something I wanted to ask you."

"Fire away." Charlotte was candidly adjusting her cleavage.

"Sirius…mentioned something about the deals between pureblood families." Lily turned to Charlotte. "What exactly does that entail?"

"Well," she wedged a hand down the front of her shirt, "usually a magical contract is signed."

"Mmm," Lily brushed her hair thoughtfully, trying not to sound too intrigued.

Charlotte eyed Lily's reflection frankly. "I know what you're getting at Lily, but a marriage contract is not something you just crumple up and throw away. Barring death, once the contract is signed, it can't be broken. I mean, really, Lily. You can't kill the girl."

She pursed her lips. "Sirius Black was engaged to her, and they broke that off in favor of James."

Charlotte nodded. "Yes," her gaze flickered away from her reflection and met Lily's emerald eyes. "But it was abolished on the account that Sirius Black is no longer considered a _Black_."

"How did you know about—"

Charlotte gave her a frank stare. "Lily, please."

Lily sighed and flopped back against the counter. "Then it is hopeless."

Silence filled the air a moment and then Charlotte spoke temptingly. "Well. There is one way."

Lily turned back to face her, unable to keep the eagerness from her voice. "How?"

She raised a delicate brow and brushed away a stray blonde curl with a fingertip. "If one is determined unworthy."

"Unworthy how?" her ears perked.

"Well, let's just say…" she bent her head and whispered throatily, "having a tarnished reputation."

Lily brightened. "Well, I just prove that Edith's family is dealing with the Dark Arts and—"

Charlotte chuckled. "I don't mean _that_ sort of reputation."

"Er…what _do_ you mean?"

Charlotte stared at Lily, her heavily-lashed eyes wide with meaning.

Lily was at a loss. "Er…what?"

Charlotte sighed exasperatedly. "Prove that she's shagging someone else!"

"Oh. _Oh_!" Lily blushed. "_That_ sort of reputation. Got it."

"Good lord, Evans. Are you certain you're top of the class?" she rolled her eyes.

Lily frowned. "How am I supposed to prove something like that?"

"Be creative." Charlotte licked her thumb and smoothed a brow. "But you won't do it."

Lily's thoughts strayed to Sirius and Edith. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You're not that kind of person." She smirked. "Lily, unlike some of us, you follow a, er…what's it called…mor—mor—"

"Moral compass?"

"Yes. Er…that thing." Charlotte brushed the air. "The point is, exposing that person would mean ruining them for the rest of their lives. And no matter how much you despise someone, you could never do something so horrible to another human being."

Lily's shoulders sank. Edith was horrible! Why should she care? She would get what she deserved…her parents would probably, well…what _would_ Edith's parents do to her? Likely Death Eaters themselves, what horrible fate would she be pinning on Edith?

"See? You're already reasoning yourself out of it. I can see it in your eyes."

"But…"

"But, but, but." She capped her lip gloss and smacked her lips. "Stop talking about arses unless it's James'. _That_ conversation would be far more productive."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"Lily groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "Ugh. This is so complicated."

"Actually," Charlotte chirped, "there's a perfectly simple solution."

Lily was afraid to ask. "What's that?"

"Shag James."

Lily gaped. "Absolutely _not_! Why the bloody hell would I do that?"

"Because you want to," Charlotte replied. "Deep down, past all of that 'I'm a prefect' prude rubbish, you really want him to get in your knickers."

"That is _not_ true!" Lily stared her down shakily. "I am _not_ like that—"

"Relax." Charlotte rolled her eyes. "It was _just_ a suggestion."

Lily took a deep breath and steadied herself. "That's…" she said slowly, coming to a realization, "that's why Edith has been trying to keep me away from James."

"Spot on."

Lily frowned. "If James and I slept together and we were found out, the contract would be off."

"Edith _obviously_ has motivations. She'll benefit from the marriage. Besides, if it falls through because of you, something that Edith could have prevented, imagine how furious her parents would be. The consequences may actually outweigh the benefits for her."

Lily was quiet a moment. "Do you think…James knows about this?"

"Of course he does."

"So, he knows that all he has to do is..." The thought made her blush. Her mind wandered to the previous night in the empty classroom…Could that brief moment have become the answer to his dilemma?

Charlotte's signature smirk danced across her face. "James could have anyone he wanted. He could have gotten out of this long ago."

Lily's heart began to race. Could that be true? Was he…waiting for her?

The smirk faded from Charlotte's face and she thoughtfully began unwrapping a pumpkin pasty. "Although, no one is foolish enough to risk their own reputation for his sake. It would be social suicide. I don't know a girl who would be willing do it, even if it is James Potter."

Lily's thudding heart stopped abruptly.

Charlotte took a lofty bite and swallowed. "So are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

Lily swallowed, suddenly a bit pale. "Er…sure."

"Excellent. I need your help with something. Hey…are you feeling okay? You look a bit…peaky."

"Hmm? Yes, fine…just...nervous. The Quidditch game is today, after all." Lily stood awkwardly and threw on her cloak, wandering blankly toward the door. "Well I better get to the field. So, see you at the game, right?"

"Right…" Charlotte eyed her strangely.

"Great!" She slammed the door behind her and steadied herself against it.

Why did she allow herself to fall into his little traps? All this time James had known perfectly well what he had to do to get out of his marriage with Edith…and he was stringing _her_ along to help him get the job done. He really thought Lily was that easy? He thought her that much of an idiot? She was so oblivious to wizard society, he assumed she could fall into bed with him like the other girls wouldn't, unaware of any consequences. Pathetic.

Well she was finished. With all of it.

Bitterly, she forced herself to focus. There was one thing she had left to do in order to rid herself of all this drama.

---

Edith was the last in the Slytherin Quidditch lockers, shuffling daintily through hers. She barely glanced over her shoulder, her heavily lashed eyes briefly spotting Lily hovering in the doorway, fists clenched and knuckles a snowy white. Edith smirked and turned her attention back to collecting her gear. "How did you get in here?"

"I have my ways."

"Lessons from dear James?" Edith slammed her locker shut and began pulling on her boots.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull," Lily spat, "but it has to stop."

Edith snorted, tightening the straps on her knee guards. "Look, Lily, you really have to stop blaming me for all these close calls of yours. There's only one person at fault, and it clearly isn't me."

"Really? Because the last time I checked, the two goons who assaulted me in the corridor last night were from _your_ team."

"I can't be held responsible for the actions of others. Especially," her eyes met Lily's, flashing, "when some _insist_ on getting in the way."

"You really don't have to try so hard to keep me away from James," Lily said bitterly, arms folded. "I'm done with him."

Edith straightened and tilted her head patronizingly. "Lily, why on earth would I be concerned about that?"

"B-because…" Lily stammered, taken aback. This wasn't going as planned. "Because I know about the marriage contract!" she finished hastily. "And I know what would happen if James strayed from your relationship. You think he'd sleep with me and ruin all your plans—"

Edith laughed humorlessly. "Lily, if James wanted out of the contract so badly, you think he would wait this long to make a move?"

"No one would be foolish enough to commit social suicide," Lily repeated Charlotte's words.

"Hmmph," Edith scoffed. "Lily, you really think James Potter couldn't find someone to sleep with? Please…he could have done so a long time ago. It's quite simple, really. All he has to do is make a declaration of true love to another." She watched with satisfaction as Lily paled considerably. "And since _that_ hasn't happened so far, I have no reason to doubt James' intentions."

Lily's mind was racing. "But…" she swallowed hard, unable to make a comeback.

With a sigh, Edith strapped on her gloves and brushed past Lily. "Face it, Evans. You were never competition to me."

Fury rose in the pit of her stomach. "Then…then why did you have my father sacked? Or…or try to knock me from the Quidditch stands?"

She scoffed, tossing her thick dark locks over her shoulder as she headed for the field. "Please. Whoever said that was _me_?" She paused in the doorway and looked thoughtfully over her shoulder. "You just _love_ to lay blame where it's easiest. And here I thought you liked a challenge."

Lily was lost for words. She stared blankly at the wall a moment, thoroughly confused. Charlotte had failed to mention the little tidbit about one declaring love for another. She swallowed hard, her stomach churning. Why was she getting upset? She'd already decided she didn't care about James anymore…so why should it matter that he didn't...have certain _feelings_ for her.

Her thoughts wandered to the night before, and how intently James had tried to get her to reveal her own feelings…_why_? Was it just part of his cruel little game? One thing she was certain of: she felt like a complete and utter fool to think—even for a moment—that James might actually have—

"Where have you been?" Sirius stepped in Lily's path, eyes bright with anxiety. "We've been looking all over for you!"

Lily hadn't even realized she'd been walking. She looked around, realizing she was just outside the Gryffindor locker room…Then, with a sudden burst of fire welling in her chest, she unstrapped her gloves and wrenched them off. "I'm not playing."

"What? What's wrong?" Sirius stopped her and wheeled her around.

"I'm not doing this. I can't."

"Are you bloody serious? Lily, you can't leave right now!" he said incredulously. "You have to do this!"

"No." She folded her arms resolutely. "I won't do anything for James. I don't want any part of this anymore."

Sirius sighed, massaging his temples. Resolutely, he gripped Lily's shoulders, grey eyes piercing. "Then…" he said, "don't do it for that git. Do it for _me_."

She watched him hesitantly.

"Please, Lily. We'll have to forfeit if you don't play."

Her eyes traveled the ground, lingering on her worn sneakers.

"Lily," he warned, "You _wanted_ to do this. I put myself on the line to let you on the team—"

"You're right." She shook her head, running a hand through her fringe, slicking it back. "You're right, Sirius. I-I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

Sirius looked relieved. "Good." He snatched her gloves and shoved them into her hands. Still he hesitated a moment, gripping her shoulder.

Lily looked at him, her eyes wavering. She tried her best to look attentive and secure, but she was failing.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Lily." His dark hair brushed his cheek before he shook it back. "I'm not that much of a fool."

"Certainly not like some men…" Lily frowned.

Then, without warning, Sirius pulled her toward him, hugging her close. For an instant, Lily let her guard down and sunk her cheek into the soft shoulder of his red Gryffindor Quidditch cloak, clinging to him tightly.

Just as quickly, Sirius released her and lifted her chin so that her emerald eyes met his grey ones. "Lily, if I had you, I wouldn't be such a fool as to let you go."

Lily's eyes widened.

"I'd kiss you," he smirked, "but I suppose that would just confuse things for you, love."

Lily laughed and wiped the corner of her eye before any tear could fall.

Sirius winked and directed her to the locker room. "A real woman needs no man!"

"What?" Lily furrowed her brow.

"…Isn't that what your girly mates would be saying to you right now?" he grinned. "You know… something about femme power? Burn the knickers or some such?

"Sirius Black," Lily grinned, "there is hope for you yet."

---

The roar of the crowd was deafening, and pounded against the inside of Lily's skull. She leaned her head against someone's locker, letting the cool metal ground her.

"Feeling all right there, Evans?" Eric MacLean placed a large but gentle palm on her shoulder. "It's time. Let's line up."

Unable to speak, Lily nodded her head and retightened her thick, red ponytail.

"Right, lads," Sirius barked, "This is it. Don't let your captain down." He ran a hand through his dark, feathery hair and smirked. "Remember, he'll be back to punish us—"

"— With double the drills," chimed a voice. James hobbled forth on his bad leg, addressing his team. "I'm sure you sods will all fly brilliantly." His eyes flickered over Lily briefly, but she didn't look him in the eye. "Well? What are you waiting for? MOVE!" he hollered.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The entire team bellowed in unison, piling out onto the field like barbarous warriors, waving their broomsticks like spears and swords.

Lily stumbled past James, keeping focused on the player's back in front of her, but he followed her with watchful eyes.

The light hit Lily's face, blinding her, and she stumbled slightly. The whole thing was a bit of a blur, really: the screaming students in the stands, the echo of the announcements, colorful flags whipping in the wind…

Dizzily she mounted her broom. When the whistle blew and the crisp air beat her face, she seemed to find some manner of coherence. She blinked and scanned the field, immediately catching sight of Edith.

Edith's lips curled into a frown. Lily grunted proudly. She obviously hadn't expected Lily to be on the field after their little encounter…not to mention the mishap with her little Slytherin cronies, both of whom were hovering in the distance, grim looks on their bruised faces. Edith must have missed the memo about her fiancé knocking her teammates unconscious.

One thing was certain at this point: Lily was not doing this for James. She didn't need to prove anything to him, but she _did_ need to prove something to Edith—and herself.

She did a cursory inspection of the stands and could make out Mila waving her arms and cheering in the Ravenclaw stands. Charlotte, seated between a few blonde Gryffindor boys, was primping in a hand mirror while systematically tossing each boy a seductive wink between lip gloss touch-ups. Lily smiled to herself and turned determinedly back to the Quaffle, which, with a sharp whistle, was tossed into the air.

The game began.

Frankly, Lily wasn't entirely sure what everyone else was doing. Players whizzed past her and she sort of hovered about, whipping around in circles as they passed her by. The Gryffindor Seeker zipped below her and shouted, "What the bloody hell are you doing, Evans? The ball is over _there_!"

Flustered, Lily angled her broom toward the looming goal posts where most of the players were congregated. But by the time she arrived, they'd already dispersed, the Quaffle jetting between Slytherins. She saw Edith snatch the red ball and tuck it beneath her delicate arm.

But before Lily could even formulate a plan—

"THAT'S ANOTHER GOAL FOR SLYTHERIN!"

Rats.

The crowd hissed audibly.

Lily spotted James' face in the crowd. He'd just slapped himself in the forehead.

Just then, Sirius darted past her, circling her twice.

"Lily, remember," he said, grey eyes twinkling, "play to your _weakness_."

"But—"

Sirius jetted away before she could finish her sentence. She tailed him with her eyes, and watched as he beat the Bludger violently, knocking a Slytherin Chaser off his broom. Lily's eyes traveled over Sirius' shoulder and spotted Edith, clinging to the Quaffle like gold, eyes alight with triumph.

Now was her chance.

Lowering her body parallel to the broom handle, Lily effectively picked up speed. The feeling seemed so natural; her body seemed to meld to the broom as it weaved in and out of the other players, all astonished as she zipped under and over them.

"Evans, what the bloody hell—" a Gryffindor Chaser called angrily as she took a few strands of hair off his head, the sounds of his voice behind her before he could finish.

Lily wasn't listening; her eyes were on Edith, following the weaving tail of her shiny new Comet. It was then Edith glanced over her shoulder to see Lily gaining on her. The smirk quickly became a scowl. And then Lily was gone, dropping out of sight.

Panicked, Edith searched the air around her, but shrugged upon finding nothing. She pinpointed the goalposts once more, but then—

Zzziip! A figure circled her, nearly knocking her off the Comet. Steadying herself, Edith glanced up, but Lily was nowhere to be found. Then suddenly—

"AUGH!" Edith nearly dropped the Quaffle and was forced to loop back around to steady herself. Lily had reappeared, flying like a maniac, buzzing Edith like a fly. "Are you bloody mad?" She hollered.

Lily just grinned and made another loop. Edith took a dive and dodged her, clinging tightly to the Quaffle. But Lily was quick; in a matter of seconds, she was on Edith's tail again.

The goal posts loomed ahead, growing larger and closer. It was Edith's chance. She waited for an opening and let the Quaffle fly before Lily could—but there she was again, this time grazing the top of Edith's head with the tail of her broom. Edith fumbled and—

"SLYTHERIN _JUST_ MISSES—AND THE QUAFFLE IS BACK IN THE HANDS OF GRYFFINDOR—AN EXCELLENT SAVE BY GREGGOR—"

Lily grinned at the look on Edith's face.

"You bloody—" Edith hissed to Lily, but the insult faded into thin air as Edith whisked past her to chase the Quaffle.

"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

The crowd roared. Lily, extremely pleased with herself, scanned the crowd a moment while she hovered idly outside the goal post. She caught the eyes of Charlotte and Mila, both waving their arms happily. And then she spotted James, his arms folded and eyes narrowed objectively. That would teach him to say a girl couldn't play Quidditch—but suddenly his eyes widened, and he began to shout. What…was he shouting at _her_? The prat—

"EVANS!" someone screamed, zooming toward her.

She glanced up just in time; a Bludger was headed straight for her face.

WOOSH! She ducked quickly. Sirius shot over her head, wielding his bat. With a hefty swing, the Bludger sailed straight back from where it came—one of the nasty Slytherin beaters that had cornered her in the hall.

"Thanks, Sirius," Lily gasped.

Sirius shook his head and winked. "Head in the game, love, not rolling on the grass of the Pitch." With that he zipped off, and Lily made to follow when—

WHAM! Something large and red smashed into her. She felt her grip loosen and her body slide off the broomstick.

She heard a distant scream and someone shouting her name, but the swirling sounds quickly faded, and soon everything was black.

---

A dark, blurry blob hovered over Lily a moment before shifting.

"I think she's awake…" someone hissed.

Her eyes were suddenly flooded with a blinding but blurry white light, and she had to blink several times to clear her vision. Everything ached, especially her shoulder. She groaned and tried to sit up.

"Evans?" the entire Gryffindor team plus Remus Lupin were lined up by her bed.

Lily cleared her throat. "Er…hello…all of you."

"You're all right!" Eric MacLean bellowed, throwing his arms wide.

"I am…" she shifted awkwardly. "Er…what happened?"

"The Quaffle," Remus chimed in.

Sirius shrugged. "On the bright side, you blocked the Slytherins from making a goal…"

"Cheers," she replied glumly.

"Yeah," the Seeker piped up, "Black here caught you before you hit the ground."

Lily's brow rose. "You caught me, Sirius?"

He winked. "S'pose I could have let you fall, but…what a waste that would be." It was possible he was actually blushing, but his shaggy black hair hid his cheeks.

"Thank you, Sirius…" she said, overcome with embarrassment. "I'm sorry I'm so clumsy. Well…did we at least win?"

There was a collective shuffling of feet. "Er…no," Eric MacLean piped, scratching his thin red hair. "You did a fine job, though. You have…interesting technique. Now Potter'll be back for the rest of the season."

"Well, we'd better let you rest," Sirius said.

"I should say so!" Madame Pomfrey reappeared, shuffling up to Lily with a steaming cup of something greenish. "Take this tonic, dear, and then get some _rest_!"

The team waved and said their final goodbyes before shuffling out, sweaty and dripping mud.

Lily took the opportunity to feel her face. It didn't seem _too_ bad, but she could feel a small cut near her lip and right eye.

"Just a mild concussion, dear," Pomfrey pursed her lips. "I don't know why you all insist upon such a bloody sport. It's barbaric…" she hesitated a moment before clearing an empty glass from Lily's bedside table. "Although…it is _admirable_ to see a lady dare to participate. Invigorating, actually."

"Oh…" Lily smiled as Madame Pomfrey bustled off, a bit of a spring to her step.

Just then, Lily was smothered by a screeching girl, blonde hair sticking in her eye.

"Lily!" Mila cried, pulling her close. "Are you alright? I though you would _die_ for sure!"

"No," Charlotte chimed in, picking up the tonic from Lily's table and sniffing it with a scrunched nose. "Sirius Black was there to save her."

Mila frowned. "Why don't handsome boys ever swoop in and rescue me? The last Arithmancy exam, for example. I would have loved for Remus Lupin to solve my equations…"

Lily giggled. "I'm fine."

"So, good news," Charlotte set the tonic down daintily. "I heard from Madeline."

"Really?" Lily brightened then frowned. "Wait…_you_ heard from Madeline?"

"Alright, fine. I opened your mail," she shrugged. "Anyway, she said she's coming back next term. She's going to be homeschooled or whatever. You know, her mother's dead or something…"

"_What_?" she screeched. "That's terrible!"

"Well have a look for yourself," Charlotte whipped out the crumpled parchment.

Lily snatched it and began reading.

_Lily,_

_I hope you haven't forgotten me too soon. I just thought it would be courteous to send you a proper letter about my leave. My mum is quite sick, as you know, and with my dad out of work temporarily_—

The word "temporarily" was scribbled rather quickly and illegibly.

--_things here have become hectic. I'll return next term, but as for the rest of this year, I'll be homeschooled. I hope you have a good year, and good luck on all of your exams._

_Madeline_

_P.S. …thank you, for…being so nice to me._

Lily shifted uncomfortably. "This…this is crap!" she spat.

"What is?"

"Madeline having to be homeschooled! Who's going to do that with her mother sick and father looking for work?" she frowned.

"So her mum is only sick?" Mila said. "Charlotte said—"

"My mistake," Charlotte shrugged. "Her handwriting is terrible."

"Well maybe that's due to all of her stress!" Lily grumbled, crumpling up the letter bitterly.

"What's gotten into you?" Charlotte glared. "She sounds fine—"

"To you, maybe—but I know exactly why she's in the position to start with."

Mila handed Lily her tonic. "Maybe you should relax and drink this…" she began to fluff a pillow.

"No!" she wriggled away from her, and snatched the pillow back. "It's Edith's fault that Madeline's father is out of the job—"

"Ah. The squib." Charlotte pursed her lips.

"Yes, the _squib_," Lily glared. "And there's no reason why he can't still work. He's perfectly capable. The Baldrics are just—just—bigots! Don't stoop to their level, Charlotte."

"I was merely stating a fact! Just because your face is all bruised and scratched doesn't mean you have to take it out on the pretty girls of the world," Charlotte flicked a curl.

Lily groaned exasperatedly. "This is ridiculous. I have to do something."

"Like what?" Mila tipped her head, wearing her sensible face.

"Like—like—get rid of Edith Baldric!" she spat.

Charlotte lifted an amused brow.

"This really isn't your problem, Lily," Mila piped up.

"Please…this is just another thing on a long list of things Edith Baldric has done to wrong people."

Charlotte giggled. "Is this because she hit that Quaffle at you?"

"She _what_—?" Lily bellowed.

"You're not _helping_,"Mila frowned at Charlotte and folded her arms. "Really, Lily. This sounds a little insane."

"Good. This calls for a little insanity. Starting tomorrow I am going to start digging up whatever dirt I can on that stuck-up weasel."

Mila eyed Charlotte in the hopes of exchanging concerned looks, but Charlotte already had a sparkle in her eye. "Cheers," she said, before whirling around and heading out the double doors.

But Mila remained behind, her blue eyes narrowed icily, and her delicate arms crossed. "This isn't you, Lily."

"Well maybe it's time for a new me."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then you're on your own," Mila shook her pale head. "Good luck."

"Fine." Lily looked away and waited until she heard the double doors slam shut. She sat and stewed for several minutes, peering at her reflection in the steaming green tonic. This was her chance to put things right. Did it really matter _how_ she pulled it off? As long as it got done, right?

Lily fidgeted. The hours crawled by cooped up in the hospital wing with nothing but the sound of Madame Pomfrey's clacking heels. She tried to sleep, but couldn't get the image of Mila's disappointed face out of her head. Then she scoured the shelves of Pomfrey's office and found a few Healer texts to peruse, but afterward couldn't shake the feeling that she'd come down with a horrible case of Dragon Pox or had been bitten by a wild Kneazle.

Soon the sky darkened, and visiting hours were up. Lily sighed and snuggled up into her pillow forcing herself to at least try and get some sleep. After all, she had big plans for—

"Falling asleep so soon? It's only nine."

Lily's eyes snapped open. James was lounging in the bed next to her, hands folded behind his head. She frowned and rolled over. "It's not exactly the most exciting of places. Can you please just leave me alone?"

James shrugged and flipped open one of Pomfrey's Healer texts that had been lying on the floor next to her. He licked a finger and flipped a page thoughtfully. "Yes…" he frowned. "Just as I expected. You have a dire case of…_the knicker twists_," he eyed her sternly.

"James, _please_—" Lily turned away from him, but he appeared at the other side of her bed, without his crutch in fact. He was walking much better.

"The only cure, it would seem," his eyes twinkling mischievously, "is a good snog."

"Madame Pomfrey will hear you. I'd rather not get into more trouble with you."

"But you love trouble," James pouted, crouching down at the foot of her bed, his face dangerously close to hers. "Don't you? It's why you agreed to play Quidditch in my stead."

"About that," Lily growled, sitting up. James' eyes followed her. "It was a lovely time, but I think I'll retire. After all, if Sirius hadn't caught me—"

James' eyes immediately went dark. "Yeah, you'd be a pancake. Right, I get it."

"Don't sound so disappointed."

He scoffed and kicked the foot of the next bed over. "I should have—I should have done something—"

Seeing the intensity in James' eyes made Lily suddenly uncomfortable. She felt a pang in her heart, and had to swallow the lump in her throat. She couldn't be a part of this stupid game anymore. She couldn't let James Potter affect her like this.

"_I_ should have caught you, not _him_—"

"James, stop it!" Lily cried, clutching her battered shoulder. A sharp pain went through it when she felt the jolt of anger, but she didn't care.

"Maybe you should calm down—" James tried to force her back down to her pillow, but she wasn't having it. She didn't really want James anywhere near her at the moment.

"Please, just leave, James…" she whispered bitterly.

He frowned, hazel eyes narrowing. "What?"

"I said _leave_!" Lily breathed heavily, her heart pounding.

Silence.

James stewed a moment, staring at Lily who was glaring at the foot of her bed stonily.

He opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it, snatching up his Invisibility Cloak. But when he reached the door, he turned back around. "Does this have something to do with Sirius? Because I saw you two outside the lockers—"

"Not that again." Lily's eyes burned. "This has nothing to do with Sirius. This is about you and me…and the fact that there— quite _clearly_— is no you and me."

"Lily," he laughed. James actually laughed. As if this was a big joke to him! He limped slightly back over to her bed and leaned in toward her. "What about last night? You know you wanted more—I could feel it."

Lily thought about what Charlotte had said to her—about James reading her body language—but she stared firmly at the blanket. He needed to read her lips for once—she was not going to let him drag her down for his own means and pleasure. "I'm not your plaything. There can't be a you and me, so leave me alone."

"Lily," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear, "there will always be a you and me, whether you like it or not."

"Well I'm not going to sleep with you, so you might as well just give it up."

"Whoever said anything about that?" he teased, placing a hand against the headboard so that she was trapped, unable to look away from him.

"Leave, James."

"Where's all this hostility coming from?" he laughed. "I thought we were friends, Lils."

Her eyes went cold, and James' smirk wavered a moment. "I don't want to be a part of this game anymore. I don't want anything to do with you," she spat.

The amusement on James' face quickly faded. His eyes searched hers a moment. "Lily…"

Her expression was steady and icy. "Get. _Out_."

James' eyes narrowed and he stood abruptly. He hovered a moment, pacing a few times. "Right." His laugh quickly turned hollow. "Then...see you around, Evans." With that, he kicked the bedside table, knocking a vase of flowers to the floor. Lily reached to catch it, just in time, and when she glanced up again, James was gone.

And that was that.

Expelling a heavy sigh that should have signaled relief, Lily shut her eyes and tried to think of something positive. The prospect of becoming Head Girl. Freedom from James Potter. The summer holiday. Anything.

All were completely ineffectual.


	25. Photograph

**A/N: Thank you all again for the fantastic reviews! Sorry about my little hiatus. My last term was hectic…but I have more time now, so I'll do my best to keep up with you all!**

**Chapter Twenty-five: Photograph**

Things were tenuous between Lily and Mila, so she refrained from even trying to sit at Lily's table. Instead, Lily noticed as she idly mashed her fruit and yogurt, Mila had made it a point to eat with her old Ravenclaw friends, back blatantly facing Lily.

Lily sighed and jabbed a blueberry with her fork.

Charlotte, who had sent her diet straight to hell as soon as she'd lost the position of queen bee to Helen, crunched happily on a piece of bacon. "Not hungry?" she said between chews. "Feel all right?"

"It's just…the tonic Madame Pomfrey gave me," she lied, jamming the blueberry into her mouth. "See? I'm fine."

"Ah," Charlotte looked unconvinced, but simply popped the last bit of bacon in her mouth and then daintily reapplied her lip gloss. "Shall we?" She stood up and looked at Lily expectantly.

It was Hogsmeade weekend, of course. Lily wasn't sure she'd quite recovered from her Quidditch pummeling, but Charlotte was extremely eager for her company and wouldn't take no for an answer. Although, she couldn't lie…there was more eating at her than just that foul medicine from Madame Pomfrey: her argument with James still nagged at her.

But she pushed the feelings aside and turned to Charlotte with a bright smile pasted on. "Lead the way."

When they arrived, they broke free from the gaggle of students and headed down the cobblestone street, Charlotte practically dragging her.

"Oof! _Charlotte_," Lily hissed after she'd nearly been rammed into an old goblin who gave her quite a nasty look, "do you think we could be a _tad_ more careful—ouch!" She stumbled over a wobbly stone and nearly crashed into the corner of _Alexandria's Fine Fittings_. It took her a moment to realize they'd stopped. She looked around, noticing that Charlotte had stuffed them both inside a narrow close. "What are we doing here?"

Charlotte looked shifty.

"Charlotte…?" Lily prodded.

"Right. So here it is…" she began with a deep breath, "Remember all the stuff that I've been buying?"

"To make Helen jealous?"

"Er…yes," Charlotte's eyes wandered awkwardly. "Well…" she shuffled closer to Lily as a tall Hufflepuff boy passed by. "I have a little…_problem_."

"Like what?"

"It's nothing major," she brushed the air with a manicured hand. "It's just a bit of debt is all."

"What?" Lily cried exasperatedly. "Did you learn _nothing _from my experience with Wizard Credit?"

Charlotte giggled. "Well that's just it. I mean, I know that you seemed to wrap things up quite neatly in the end, and I thought you might let me in on your little _secret_." She whispered the word 'secret' and nudged Lily with a twinkle in her eye.

Lily frowned and pinched the bridge of her bruised nose. "Charlotte…" The cobblestone street was getting more packed as the students flooded past the shop toward Zonko's. She lowered her voice and took Charlotte by the elbow, pulling her to whispering distance. "James _paid _for what I didn't work off at _Alexandria's_!"

Charlotte blinked and bit her lacquered lip. "Oh. Well…do you think _he_ could spot me a few Galleons?"

Lily groaned and threw up her arms. "Exactly how much debt are we talking about here?"

Charlotte cleared her throat. "I'd rather not say."

"Well considering you just bought a 3,000 Galleon pair of shoes the other day…" she grimaced.

"That's exactly why I needed to find them!" Charlotte cried. "They are, I swear to you, the most expensive thing I bought. If I can just get those shoes back and return them, I bet I can work off the rest. But…I need a favor."

Lily hesitated. "What?"

"Well…" Charlotte eyed the glass window of _Alexandria's_ with its glittering robes teasing the passerby. "Since _you_ worked here, I thought perhaps you could put in a good word for me?"

Lily almost burst out laughing. "You're going to _work._ You."

"Yes, _me_! I'm perfectly capable of mingling with the…how do you Muggles say it? _Bourgeoisie_."

"You mean proletariat?"

"Whatever. _Bourgeoisie_ is much more fun to say."

At least Charlotte was absorbing _something_ in Muggle Studies. Lily conceded. "Fine, Karl. But you'd better not make me look bad."

"Deal," Charlotte grinned. "And who is Karl?"

The rest of the day was actually quite fun. It was the first chance she'd had to really spend time with Charlotte, who, oddly enough after everything that had happened between them, had turned out to be a good companion. The world truly was full of surprises.

However, as soon as the following week picked up at Hogwarts, Charlotte became practically nonexistent what with her exorbitant hours at _Alexandria's_. Without Charlotte or Madeline, Lily was left with little to no buffer between her and Florence and Helen who delighted in tormenting her every moment.

It was like being back at the beginning of the sad, sorry year: friendless, dateless, tormented, and not without a properly bound copy of _Hogwarts, a History_ to keep her occupied.

So this was where the year had brought her: full circle. Lily sighed as she shuffled down the halls, carrying a teetering pile of books in her arms. She attempted fruitlessly to blow a particularly sticky strand of auburn hair from her eyes as she rounded the corner, and as a result ended up losing her balance and subsequently the tottering stack of books as well.

"Not _again_," she groaned, flopping to the floor to gather them up, trying to smooth the crinkled pages.

One of the books lurched out of her grasp and hit her hard in the knee when someone kicked it, its pages fluttering open. Her head whipped up to catch Helen Halverson tailing James Potter, Edith Baldric, and Peter Pettigrew as they sauntered off down the hall with a few other Gryffindors and Slytherins. Helen was giggling like mad, and kicked another of Lily's books with an evil grin before whirling around to catch up with the others.

Lily grimaced as the group threw her snide looks. James didn't even bother; he just pulled Edith tighter to him and laughed at something Peter said. It was as if she didn't exist. They rounded the corner and disappeared.

It was going to be a long, long rest of the year.

"Oy, Evans."

Two raggedy sneakers appeared before her, and she followed them up the outline of a bulbous Gryffindor. "Hi, Kenneth," Lily said glumly, massaging her temples.

He was slurping on a sugar quill, staring idly at the books strewn across the floor. "Having troubles?"

"Something like that," she muttered, stacking them back in the correct order.

Kenneth didn't bother to help. "So, er…I needed to ask you something."

At the sudden uncharacteristic awkwardness in his voice, Lily looked up with concern. "Ask me what?"

"Er…well," he shifted his feet, "I heard you and Mila Lofgren got into some sort of fight."

Her eyes narrowed and she stood up. "How did you hear about—Wait. Did Ingrid put you up to this?" Lily had nearly forgotten that Kenneth was dating Mila's little sister.

"Well…she was just thinking that maybe you two should talk. After all, it seems like a misunderstanding…"

"Kenneth, no offense, but neither you nor Ingrid knows what's going on. Besides…if Mila wants to be my friend, there's nothing stopping her. Obviously she's harboring some problem of her own."

"Oh."

"Yes."

"Well," he shifted awkwardly again. "I guess I'll go then."

"You do that," Lily made certain her freshly shined prefect badge was visible. "I'm perfectly capable of handling such matters, after all."

"Right," he furrowed his brow. "So I'll see you around then?"

"Sure."

Just as Kenneth was turning away, a Hufflepuff slammed deliberately into him, causing him to stumble into the wall. He caught himself awkwardly and looked away as the boy shot him a foul sneer. "How's it going, _traitor_?"

Kenneth just stared at his feet, frowning.

"Hey!" Lily stood, whipping out her wand.

The Hufflepuff froze and his face turned wan. He didn't seem to notice that a sixth year prefect had witnessed his jibe.

"Just where do you get off treating your fellow students like that?" she growled. "Apologize right now. What's your name?"

"Eric."

"Eric _what_?"

"Mulligan. I'm…sorry," he grumbled to Kenneth.

"Brilliant," Lily spat. "30 points from Hufflepuff. Now get to class."

Eric Mulligan looked like he wanted to argue, but thought better of it, turned with a pout, and scurried off.

"Really, Kenneth," Lily turned back to him. "That boy was half your size."

"You didn't have to do that," Kenneth was still staring at his feet.

"Well, it's my job," she replied tautly.

Kenneth looked her in the eye suddenly, his face scrunched angrily. "Now I'll be even more of a laughing stock. I don't need some snitch trying to protect me!"

"I—"

"Leave me alone, Lily."

Appalled, Lily watched Kenneth lumber away, feet smashing the floor bitterly as he went.

She groaned to herself and bent over to finish gathering up her books. She was getting quite good at making enemies lately. She made her way back to Gryffindor Tower, scolding a few pranksters in the halls along the way.

Relieved to be at peace once more, Lily flopped down on her bed, drew the curtains shut, and began flipping through books. Unfortunately, she'd come up with nothing so far on Edith Baldric. Not a single bit of juicy info, nor family history, nor anything relevant in _Prophet_ clippings. Her plan was clearly failing.

Mila hated her. She had nothing on Edith. Charlotte was too busy to talk to her. James treated her like a brick wall. Edith was still breathing oxygen. Madeline's father was out of the job. _Her_ father was out of the job…

…Just a few items on the long list of Lily's problems. She frowned and slammed the book shut. It was going nowhere. Edith Baldric's dirty secrets were tightly sealed beneath that shiny head of black hair atop that stupid, sickeningly beautiful head.

There was only one thing Lily could think of that might calm her down: reorganizing.

Whipping out her wand and a pair of protective gloves, Lily dove into her bedside table and trunk, systematically pulling out odds and ends and separating things into color-coded piles.

"_Scourgify_," she hummed as she went, her mood brightening with every pocket of dust she obliterated. In no time, her spirits were up, and she was seated cross-legged on the floor beside several neatly labeled stacks and piles.

Finally, she reached the bottom of her trunk, pulling out one of James' dirty socks. She scowled and burned it to a crisp on the spot, blowing the remaining ashes happily out the window. Lastly, she scrounged up her copy of _Detoxify, De-stress, and Don't Explode- Literally- for the Modern Witch_ and a warm smile spread across her face. She blew the dust from the cover, remembering her anxiety at the beginning of the year. Even though she seemed to be spiraling backwards socially, she knew that deep down she had grown at least somewhat. The swirling gold letters that formed the name _Melinda Moonshine_ sparked her memory.

Quickly abandoning her project, she scurried over to her desk and drew out her quill and ink. In a matter of minutes, she'd penned a letter to Melinda:

_It's been so long since we've last written, and so much has happened—more than I can properly put in words here. But most certain is the fact that I miss you terribly…especially now! _

_I remembered you mentioning the article you were writing about your cousin Charlotte's family and the loss of their business. Strangely enough, she and I have become friends…or something like it, anyway. But in regards to the article, I was hoping you might be able to give me any details you've found regarding the Baldrics who bought out the Vane's cauldron company. Anything at all would be…much appreciated. _

_Write soon, _

_Lily _

Rolling it up with a flourish, Lily scrambled out of her dorm and all the way up to the owlery to send Rue off with her message. It was really her last hope to find something—anything—on Edith.

Eagerly she awaited a response, and the weeks rolled by. February dissolved into March, and the snows began to melt with the coming spring warmth. Mostly, it was all a dull blur, Lily simply doing her best to retain some semblance of sanity.

Prefect meetings were conducted, and she icily ignored any direct instructions from Edith which garnered Lily a snide smirk in return. And though they met in the hallway with a bit of awkward conversation, Mila had pretty much returned to her old friends. While they'd apologized for the fight, Lily remained disinterested during any conversation which simply pushed Mila further away. Even Charlotte, who thrived on being the sole contributor in a conversation, pointed out that Lily was acting like a recluse.

But there wasn't much she could do. Lily just didn't feel…whole anymore. During the brief moments that she did see James, she remained unaffected—for the most part—as she'd properly conditioned herself against all irrational reactions to his piercing stare.

Well, except once.

Because she'd lost all interest in things, she placed most of her focus on studying once more. The one and only goal she'd set for herself was to become Head Girl, and she would stop at nothing to get that. Keeping focused on the prized was the only thing that kept her going, but in the process, she'd become such a regular at the library that Madame Pince actually shot her a genuine smile one day.

It was the same day, in fact, that she spotted James.

He simply entered the library alone one afternoon while Lily was perusing the Herbology section, seated himself at one of the tables and cracked an arbitrary book. She tried desperately to ignore him, but he just sat there, his eyes blazing in her direction.

For three hours he just watched her: sometimes chewing on a pencil, occasionally flipping a page, but not once actually looking at the text.

Lily could feel the blush creeping up her neck, but out of some illogical need to challenge him, she stayed and acted as nonchalant as possible while he blatantly toyed with her. It was almost like the staring game to see who would give out and blink first. Unfortunately it was Lily.

All it took was one of her casual glances to linger a bit too long on his hazel eyes. A smirk flashed instantaneously across his handsome features and she turned quickly away. She knew perfectly well that her face was an open book—all of her thoughts written right out there for him to read—and whatever he saw pleased him. When she gathered the courage to turn around again, he was gone, the book still propped open on the table.

That little fumble had been a week ago, but thankfully since then she hadn't seen James at all.

Lily lingered on this thought while chewing on a dinner roll.

"So then I told Hilda, 'Listen—I am _not_ a bloody slave! I don't care if Mrs. Higgins is our best customer, she had no _right_ to place an engorgement charm on me so that I could try on garments for her fat niece!" Charlotte slammed her fist down on the table, breaking Lily's train of thought.

"Huh?" she blinked. "Oh…how nice…"

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. Her blonde hair was frazzled and her uniform a bit less put together than usual, her _Alexandria's_ nametag askew. Seeing it reminded her of the time James doubled as her boyfriend when her mum and Petunia visited, helping her hide her secret job and debt. "—listening to me? Lily. LILY."

"What?" She was jerked back to the present.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" Charlotte growled. "You've been in spacey ever since I started working this job. I mean, really, Lily, I know it's hard without my usual constant presence—how could it not be—I'm fabulous—but the reality is that life goes on." She placed a hand congenially upon Lily's left shoulder, an unusual display of affection on Charlotte's part.

Lily eyed it strangely and shifted awkwardly away. "I'm fine, really, Charlotte. I know you're busy."

"You know, you never talk about James anymore."

"That's because he's a nonissue," Lily dismissed her brusquely.

Charlotte was taken aback. "Okay. Relax. Just making an observation." She watched for a moment as Lily pushed some peas around her plate. "Alright…I wasn't going to say anything, but since you're obviously _not_ over James—"

"There's nothing to get over."

"Right. Anyway. Since you're obviously not over…'nothing'…I may have something to cheer you up."

Lily made to stab a pea, but it shot off of her plate and hit the jug of pumpkin juice. "Really."

"Yes, _really_," Charlotte sounded offended. "Lily, I've been doing some of my best work here, for Merlin's sake."

The echoing sound of chatter in the great hall was deafening.

"Come with me to the courtyard and I'll tell you all about it," Charlotte grinned, eyes gleaming with mischief.

Lily sighed and dropped her napkin on her plate. Within seconds, it was cleared away, and a fresh one replaced it. Lily stood and followed Charlotte drearily out of the cafeteria, making it a point to ignore James' obvious stare as she passed right by his table.

Relieved to be out of his sight, she leaned exhaustedly against the double doors as they slammed shut behind her.

"What's the matter with you, anyhow?" Charlotte glared, dragging Lily off by the arm. "You look ridiculously tired."

Unfortunately, ignoring James Potter was turning out to be quite draining, but she wasn't about to tell that to Charlotte. "Just not much sleep."

"Ah, the raging hormones will do that to you."

"What?" Lily frowned, blushing as a Slytherin boy passed by and gave her a once over before sneering. She folded her arms tighter across her chest and focused on Charlotte as they walked.

"You must be pregnant."

Lily gaped, a hearty red flush spreading from her head to toe. "I'm not _pregnant_!" she hissed.

"Well it would certainly explain your mood swings as of late. It's James' isn't it?" Charlotte shook her head.

"NO!" Lily bellowed, attracting the attention of a few passersby as they exited the castle and wandered into the courtyard. She frowned and lowered her voice. "That's not possible. I—I'm still—"

"A virgin?" Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Of course you are. Now, do you want to hear the news or not?"

Lily crossed her arms, pouting slightly. "Fine."

Charlotte suddenly lowered her voice, peering over her shoulder covertly. "Alright. Well…I've actually been keeping this for some time and I even used it last week to get my shoes back from Helen—"

"That's great! That's 3,000 Galleons knocked off the debt," Lily smiled.

"Well…I was going to wear them out just one more time before I say goodbye—But anyway, what I wanted to tell you is," she leaned in, her eyes gleaming beneath the shade of her thick lashes, "I heard a rumor that Edith has been cheating on James."

"What?" Lily blanched. "R-really?"

"Yes," she smiled deviously, "and that's not all—" she whipped something out of her pocket. "—_this_ is where it gets good. Let me just tell you, Lily, that getting me that job in Hogsmeade is the best move you could have possible made for yourself."

"What do you mean?" Lily eyed her nervously.

With a flourish and a distinct look of pride, Charlotte unfolded what appeared to be a photograph.

"What's this?" Lily took it.

"_This_ is Edith and Sirius Black, having…er…shall we say, a little _party_ behind the dumpsters at _Alexandria's_."

Lily's jaw dropped as she scrambled to look at the photo. Her astonishment steadily faded to confusion. "Er…Charlotte…it's a bit dark, isn't it?"

"Well, yes—"

"And _grainy_—"

"Of course, it was nighttime—"

"And I can't really tell if it's actually them."

Charlotte snatched the photo back. "Well it needs a bit of work. But when I'm finished with it, it'll be clear as day, I promise."

Lily sighed. "Charlotte, are you sure it's them?"

"Lily, it was dark, but I swear it on my blue Martina Marigold heels." Her eyes were earnest.

Lily bit her lip. Her thoughts carried her back to the conversation she'd had with Remus when he told her he'd caught the two of them talking cryptically in an empty classroom. "Well…is this a good thing?"

"Of course it is!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Now you can finally prove that Edith is a cheating ninny and James will be all yours!"

Swallowing hard, Lily folded her arms. "But…it's Sirius."

"So?"

"So! It's Sirius! After all he's done for me, I can't just…throw him under the bus!"

"Lily," Charlotte frowned. "Let's be reasonable here. _This_ is the proof you've been waiting for! You can't finally get back at Edith."

Lily sighed. "I know…It's just…" She flopped down wearily on a bench.

Charlotte sat daintily beside her. "I think that there is more at stake here than Sirius Black. He's already been labeled as a black sheep. We're talking about hundreds of jobs…And don't forget Madeline and her father."

She was right, Lily knew. But still... "Then what do you propose? A photo isn't really going to prove anything, is it?"

"No," Charlotte smirked, "That was just to show you. All that you need to break the contract is a witness—a la me!" She waved a hand indicatively over herself and winked. "I just testify and voilà—James is all yours."

Lily's stomach did a somersault. Was she really going to do this? She knew she could muster the courage to unmask Edith as a cruel liar, but was she prepared to hurt Sirius in the process?

Charlotte sighed and reclined on the bench. "Sometimes my own brilliance frightens me."

---


	26. Goodbye

**A/N: Thanks for keeping up the great reviews, guys! This story is quickly wrapping itself up, just to warn you. Please stick with me until the end—I promise not to disappoint. Keep reviewing, I beg you!**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Goodbye**

Lily had been pondering what could possibly make Edith risk everything she and her family had been working for over a boy. The conclusion she continued to draw made her not only uncomfortable, but more and more uneasy with the idea of using the information against her.

It was clear now, Lily thought to herself with a bit of an ache in her heart, that Edith was in love with Sirius Black despite all of her previous snide comments.

She knew perfectly well also that Sirius was in love with Edith. How could Lily possibly bring herself to ruin that? Taking that away from him, well…it just wasn't in her.

She couldn't do it…even if that meant giving up wholeheartedly on James Potter—not that she _cared_ about that prat. After all, he had been using her. As for Madeline, well, she would just have to think of something else.

The owl post arrived a bit earlier than usual on Friday night as Charlotte and Lily were chatting amiably about hemlines.

Rue crudely stepped in her mashed potatoes upon his landing, interrupting their conversation and her dinner. Lily cast him a disapproving glare before taking the scroll from his outstretched leg. Haughtily, he fluffed his brown feathers, turned, and fluttered off.

"What a queen," Lily grumbled as she unraveled the letter.

"Gross," Charlotte glowered at the owl dropping which had landed conveniently atop her next forkful of salad. She dropped it and shoved the plate away. "What are you looking so pleased about?"

"It's a letter!" Lily proclaimed, her eyes darting delightedly over the scroll. "From your cousin, Melinda."

"Oh. Her." Charlotte rolled her eyes and watched as her plate disappeared. She snatched a roll and began picking at it. "So what's it say?"

_Lily, _

_I can't wait to hear all about your time at school that I've missed. I think it's wonderful you've made friends with Charlotte. I think you'll be an excellent influence on her. As per the article, well, I've come quite far, but it is difficult to find strong enough sources. _

_There have always been rumblings regarding the Baldrics as supporters of You-Know-Who, but nothing can be confirmed; no one is brave enough to step forward and solidify the claims— at least, not in the current climate, what with the continual uprisings. _

_What I could tell you I wouldn't dare communicate through owl post, I hope you understand. But your interest concerns me—please don't involve yourself in anything dangerous, Lily. Take care. _

_Melinda_

Lily's smile rapidly faded. The brusque ending of the letter irked her. Melinda, of all people, should know she wouldn't seek out danger…er…well, intentionally anyway.

She quickly crumpled the letter and stuffed it into her cloak pocket. "Nothing important."

"She just makes me _so_ mad," Charlotte grumbled, stuffing a chunk of bread into her mouth.

"Melinda?" Lily frowned, trying to think how anyone could possibly dislike her.

"No, Helen."

Lily followed Charlotte's angry glare over her left shoulder to where Helen Halverson was seated with Edith Baldric, James, Florence, and several others. Strangely, Helen was staring straight at them. It was unnerving, her pale blue eyes scouring them calculatingly. She didn't look away even when Lily raised an inquisitive brow.

Lily turned back to Charlotte. "Did you do something to her recently?"

Charlotte shook her head. "On the contrary. I helped her out. She's become Edith's eyes and ears lately…it's the reason she traded me those shoes for the details about Edith and Sirius."

"Right…" Lily casually glanced back over her shoulder. Helen was still staring as she popped another forkful of roast into her mouth. Lily's gaze traveled inadvertently toward James' back. He was leaning towards Edith and whispering. She giggled and took a sip of her pumpkin juice. Suddenly Helen nudged her and nodded in Lily's direction.

Both Edith and James turned. Edith just scoffed while James' eyes lingered a moment. Lily whipped around, her cheeks heating up.

"Pathetic, if you ask me," Charlotte said, her eyes still narrowed in Helen's direction. "I never would have stooped so low." She tore into another roll with her teeth. She spoke through a full mouth, "She thinks by pleasing Edith she'll move up the social ladder. But you just can't scramble out of the shallow but slippery hole that is upper-middle class. She'll never be me."

Lily folded her napkin and stood. "I'm going to the library."

Charlotte quickly followed, scurrying after her down the hallway. "Hey," she said, trying to keep up with Lily, tottering in her heels. "Have you thought at all about what I said yesterday?"

"I…have." Lily was curt.

Charlotte stared at her. "That's it? You 'have?'"

Lily didn't respond. She rounded a corner and began to climb the staircase when Charlotte snagged her sleeve.

"Lily, this is serious! We need to come up with a plan!" she whispered excitedly, peering over her shoulder to make sure they weren't being watched.

"Charlotte…"

"Because I was thinking, there's this fundraiser being held at the Potter's this month in honor of his birthday—I think it's something about rescuing the endangered Blue-Snouted Ukrainian Ironbelly—I mean, my parents won't be invited, but I know someone who could get us guest invites—"

"I can't do it."

Charlotte froze mid-sentence, her wide eyes narrowing. "What?"

"I'm sorry—"

"Lily, you do realize this is our only chance to exact _revenge_," she hissed, clenching her fist. "Is this because of Sirius? I mean, really, Lily—"

"It's just…" Lily began, "I don't want to hurt him. He's been so good to me—"

"Oh Merlin," Charlotte threw her arms up in the air. "Now you like _him_? Lily, _make-up-your-mind_! James—Sirius—James—Sirius. I have a headache."

"Charlotte, it isn't that—I just don't think I can do it."

For a moment Charlotte looked blank, then realization crossed her features and her eyebrow twitched. "I knew it. I knew you didn't have it in you." She was shaking her head as she folded her arms. "And I thought you'd changed…"

"It's the means that bothers me! I feel so sneaky and cruel—I don't want to stoop to Edith's level. There has to be another way—"

"Lily, the end always justifies the means!" Charlotte exclaimed. "If you want to play in the big leagues, you have to get your hands a little dirty. I thought you knew that when you claimed you wanted to get even with Edith."

Lily frowned and smoothed her robes absently. "You just don't understand."

Charlotte grabbed Lily's shoulder suddenly, forcing Lily to look her in the eye. "_I_ don't understand?"

"I didn't mean—"

"No," Charlotte narrowed her eyes. "Let's get one thing straight: Edith may have taken James away from you, but she took _everything_ away from my family. I have a stake in this too, you know."

Lily was suddenly ashamed. "I'm sorry."

Charlotte shook her blonde curls and frowned. "Forget it. If this is what you want, then fine. I won't say anything."

"…Thank you."

"Whatever. I have to go to work."

Lily nodded. "Okay…I'll see you later?"

But Charlotte was gone before Lily even finished her sentence. She peered up at the portrait above her. The group of darkly suited old men peering at her quickly shuffled and looked away, clearing their throats. Lily sighed and climbed dully up the stairs to the library when her foot caught on the lip of a step and she tumbled ungracefully to her knees, her books scattering everywhere.

Talk about déjà vu. Grumbling, she brushed off her skirt and began gathering her things to the sniggering of the suited men in the portrait. She was about to snap when she noticed a pair of dark shoes right across from her nose—they were much less raggedy than Kenneth's sneakers. In fact, they looked very expensive.

She peered up cautiously and nearly toppled down the rest of the staircase when she locked eyes with James' father. "You might be more careful in the future, child." He nudged a stray book aside with the leather toe of his shoe and clopped down past her without another word.

"Right. I—" Wait a minute. Why was she apologizing? "You know, you could learn to say excuse me once in awhile." Immediately she regretted her words.

The man turned his silvery head around to meet her livid green eyes with his hazel ones. He surveyed her briefly. "Evans, correct?"

_Yes_, she thought bitterly, _the one you tried to blackmail_. She nodded tersely, keeping her expression impassive.

He smirked and turned back around. "No wonder…" he muttered to himself.

She was about to question him when he called brusquely over his shoulder, "James. Now."

Lily froze as James clopped down the stairs past her as well. She tried her best not to look at him, but curiosity got the best of her. She followed the back of his black robes as he trailed behind his father. She wondered what business James' father had at the school, but she figured it had something to do with the Governing Board or some such.

Just as she was turning back to her scattered books, James cast his eyes back over his shoulder, watching her for the longest moment. There was something unreadable there, but the moment abruptly came to an end sooner than she could digest it; the next second he had rounded the corner with his father.

Scrambling to gather her things, she scurried up the staircase and found the library, her only safe haven. With relief, she found her usual table in the corner and set out to find an Arithmancy text she'd heard Professor Vector mention during a lecture on the Chaldean Method.

The shelf she was perusing was thick with dust which frankly boggled Lily's mind since it was one of her favorite subjects. She found the equations thoroughly satisfying to solve and the answers far less dubious than Divination—

"—news to me," a girl on the other side of the shelf was whispering—not very quietly. "So did James have a say? Maybe he was embarrassed about the last Quidditch match."

"That's ridiculous," a higher voice chimed in.

"What about this one?" said a third. "Brittana and Gareth are supposed to finally get together in this one—"

"Greta! Will you put that book away? We're talking about James Potter here," said the first voice.

"Anyway," the second, high-pitched one piped, "Where did you hear it from?"

"Helen Halverson. She just came down to the Great Hall and spilled it."

"Well what does Edith have to say about it?" the third voice added glumly, clearly still stung from being chided.

Lily pressed her ear up against the bookcase eagerly.

"Well," the first voice softened slightly, "I don't know about her, but Sirius Black didn't seem all that beat up about it."

"Do you think he—"

"Maybe. I mean, everyone knows he wants Edith Baldric for himself."

"Look, all I know is that by three this afternoon, James Potter will be long gone. No more Hogwarts for him."

"What a shame…he was so pretty to look at."

"Brittana and Gareth have never faced such adversity," Greta sighed glumly.

Lily dropped her Arithmancy book, her face turning ghostly white. James was leaving Hogwarts? Her mind began to race and she had to prop herself up against the dusty books. She thought about the conversation she'd had with Remus about Sirius and Edith. That he'd caught Edith telling Sirius she was forced to be with James and that, well…

"…_it—being with James—" _Remus had said cryptically,_ "was only temporary."_

Edith's words swirled around in her head. Could this be what she'd meant? That she would get James taken out of school so that she could be with Sirius?

Awkwardly, Lily began stuffing her things back in her bag. But when her notebooks crumpled up and got jammed, she hastily flung it to the ground and sped out of the library, glancing at the clock on her way: 2:45.

Stumbling down the staircase, nearly repeating the earlier incident, Lily ran. She ran until there was a stitch in her chest, and even then she ignored it and kept running. She shoved past students and nearly crushed a wide-eyed first year, and didn't stop until she'd reached the front of the castle. She took the steps two at a time, and when she reached the bottom, she came to an abrupt halt on the path.

The grounds were empty and silent but for a horseless carriage and a few house elves packing a trunk in it. There they were—James and his father. Mr. Potter had already boarded and was gazing silently out the other window. James had just reached up to pull himself in when—

"JAMES!" she bellowed.

He turned to see her standing there, chest heaving breathlessly. Her face was likely red and sweaty, but she didn't care. He said something to his father who looked displeased, but nodded brusquely nonetheless.

In his normal manner, James sauntered toward her, hands stuffed casually in his pockets.

"You're leaving?" she breathed.

"Did you run here?" James' eyes danced mischievously.

"Answer my question," she said harshly.

He hesitated, then nodded shortly and folded his hands behind his head. "My father says it's too dangerous to be here now that I'm going to be seventeen in a few weeks."

"But…that doesn't make sense—" Lily scoured her brain, trying to follow the reasoning, "Dumbledore is here! There's no place safer!"

"Not according to my father. He's sending me to France with my grandmother. I'm going to finish out this year there and stay the summer."

"But…Do you want to go?"

James laughed hollowly. "What I want doesn't matter. I'm obligated to my family."

"You were going to leave without saying goodbye." It wasn't a question. Lily's eyes traveled to her shoes.

"I didn't think there was much point."

Lily nodded. "And…what about Edith?"

"We'll be married by then."

Lily's jaw dropped; she was certain her face was ghostly white. "M-married?"

He nodded again, but quickly changed the subject. "So good luck with the Head Girl thing."

Lily was more concerned about his brisk marriage at the moment, but she humored him. "I haven't gotten a letter yet…"

"You will." His hazel eyes sparkled.

Lily stood there silently while James turned to leave. "I'll see you around…" he said over his shoulder.

She bit her lip and fiddled with the frayed hem of her left sleeve. "…Right." Wrong. This was all wrong. James couldn't leave. He _shouldn't_. He was going to marry the wrong person at the wrong time in the wrong place! He should be—she could feel a tear trickling down her cheek and she wiped it away roughly—This was all happening so fast—She never got the chance to—

Before she could finish the thought, James had turned on his heel and caught Lily by the shoulders, pulling her toward him.

He didn't kiss her, though his breath tickled her lips a moment as he hovered there, Lily's heart pounding so hard she could feel it—even taste it—in her throat. And then he hugged her close, his arms comfortingly around her. Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, tears springing despite her efforts to hide them.

"I'm going to miss you, Evans," he said gruffly into her tangled hair.

She swallowed hard, trying to find the words to reply. "I-I'm going to miss you too, Potter."

He pulled away and peered down at her, his hazel eyes dark and unreadable. "It's been fun. I mean—you never quite caught up to me, but…you came damn close."

"Are you kidding? Close?" she laughed shakily, trying to keep her composure. "I'm unrivaled, James Potter."

He smirked handsomely. "That you are."

With that, he turned toward his beckoning father, stuffing his hands into his pockets, head bowed low. He didn't look back.

And then they were gone.

---


	27. Rude Interruptions

**Chapter Twenty-seven: Rude Interruptions**

With James gone, the weeks seemed to drag by even slower than before. Lily really had no motivation to do anything. She had tried, however, to perk herself up. After all, it was all out of her hands now: Edith was moving away with James, and that would be the end of it. No more drama.

Still…

Lily was sitting quietly in the library, her books spread generously across her usual table. Too distracted to study, she pulled out her latest letter from Melinda, smoothing it on top of her open notebook.

_Dear Lily, _

_I hope things aren't too stressful. Your last letter was so brief I'm beginning to wonder if everything is truly okay with you. _

_To answer your question, yes, the article is going very well. It seems the Baldrics have been buying out all sorts of businesses in the area and acquiring the assets of other well-known wizarding families such as the Prewetts and Willoughbys—I'm not entirely sure by what means, but I have a hunch. The Vane's cauldron company was just the beginning—and squib employees like Madeline's father were just the first to go. Anyone they deem unworthy is out of the job—essentially following the standards of You-Know-Who. _

_Still, I continue to dig deeper, looking for something that will once and for all put an end to all of it._

_I can't say much more, but if you could do me one favor and keep your ears open for any information, I would be greatly indebted to you. _

_Wishing all the best,_

_Melinda Moonshine_

"Lily?"

She glanced up from the blurred words to see Remus standing across from her, looking as haggard and handsome as usual.

"May I sit?" he said, polite as ever.

"Er…" Lily jostled some things around the table, "sure…"

"Don't bother," he smiled, sitting across from her.

They sat in silence a moment; only the shuffling of Madame Pince's sharp heels could be heard across the way.

"I haven't seen you in awhile," Lily said softly. "Sick again?"

Remus didn't blink before giving an answer, "Yes. Sick. And you? How have you been?"

"I'm doing great, actually. I got my letter for Head Girl…"

"That's fantastic!" he said.

"Did you get yours?"

He shook his head. "No, actually…James did though."

"Oh. Wow…that's…"

"Unexpected? I know," he laughed.

Lily smiled weakly. "Yeah…I guess it will go to someone else now."

There was an awkward pause.

"Speaking of James," Remus began.

"Don't, Remus," Lily stopped him. "Please. I know what you're going to say—"

"Lily…" he shook his sandy head, "I don't think you do. I don't think you understand yet that James never grew up. He doesn't know when to stand up and fight, or when to keep his mouth shut."

Lily picked at the corner of a book cover.

"And I think, because of that, you were hurt."

Lily nodded softly.

Remus leaned forward earnestly. "Lily, James _does_ care for you. He just needs to grow up first. Things may have turned out for the best…"

"The best?" Lily exclaimed. "How could this possibly be for the best? James is going off to France to marry the most horrible creature—it's too soon! He's too young! And Edith is far from trustworthy a-and—we both know it—she's sleeping with Sirius!"

Remus shook his head. "She can't be…"

"Why? Because she's not as bad as I think?"

"No," he said firmly, "Because Sirius _has_ grown up, and he knows better than that. He wouldn't be so stupid, even for a girl he loves."

"…But—"

"Listen to me, Lily," Remus said, "Things will work out for the best, but you have to believe that. You can't change James—he has to make the decision for himself. As for you, don't let all of this affect what's best for you. Don't let it drag you down."

Lily was silent.

"Alright?"

Lily nodded. "Thanks, Remus."

"Sure." He stood and walked out, hands in his pockets. He cast one last concerned glance over his shoulder at her, and she mustered up as much energy as she could to smile back.

Maybe he was right, she thought to herself as she gathered up her things. Maybe things had worked out for the best. One thing she knew Remus was right about: she couldn't let it drag her down. She had to be strong and focus on what was important.

---

"Lily? Are you alright?"

Lily felt a nudge at her arm. She blinked and peered up from her book which was lying upside down across her lap. The common room fire crackled at her feet, and she found herself embraced by the arms of an old wingback chair.

Kenneth was staring at her with his droopy eyes.

"Er…I'm fine." She sat up and quickly wiped the drool from her cheek. She must have fallen asleep.

"I'm headed to breakfast if you want to come." He looked at her strangely. "You were drooling, so I thought—"

"No thanks," Lily mumbled, "I'm not hungry."

"Right," Kenneth stopped short. "Okay, then. Hey, listen, Lily," he turned back toward her, "I'm sorry I yelled at you the other day."

"It's okay…" Lily hardly remembered.

"See you around then." He lumbered off.

She picked up the book she'd been reading and frowned: _Detoxify, De-stress, and Don't Explode— Literally— for the Modern Witch. _Despite what Melinda said about it being rubbish, Lily still took comfort in its words. Besides, Lily was convinced that Melinda hadn't given herself quite enough credit.

Her eyes lingered momentarily on the open pages in her lap.

_Chapter 24: Salvaging Sanity in Times of Crisis_

_When life gives you Doxies, brew Doxicide, as the saying goes. Don't leave anything in the hands of others—this is your life, and you must act now if you don't want to travel down a path created by others. It is never too late to turn around and stand up for your principles, even when no one else is willing. _

_You are a bright, brilliant witch. _

_Repeat after me: _

_I am a bright, brilliant witch, capable of unthinkable greatness. _

"I am…" Lily muttered to herself, "a bright, brilliant witch, capable of unthinkable greatness…"

"That's a bit self-absorbed, don't you think?"

Lily dropped her book and whirled around. Charlotte was staring down at her, hand on hip, arching a delicate blonde eyebrow. "I was just…reading."

"Whatever." She flipped her hair. "I'm going to breakfast. Are you coming?"

"No thanks…" Lily's thoughts were wandering elsewhere, the book's words still churning in her mind.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. "Are you ever going to get over this whole James leaving thing?"

Lily cleared her throat gruffly. "Of course. I _am_ over it. I—" Just then something clicked.

Throwing the book into Charlotte's arms, she bolted for the portrait hole. Charlotte stumbled out of her way, gripping the book as she watched Lily incredulously. "What has gotten into you?"

But Lily had flown from the common room before she could answer. Why hadn't she thought of this before? The whole time the answer had been staring her in the face. "Kenneth!" she cried to the figure lumbering around the corner. "Wait!"

The boy hesitated a moment, raising his eyebrows at the sight of Lily dashing through the corridor toward him. She screeched to a halt, clutching the stitch in her chest. "You—" she heaved, "know the—Baldrics—don't you?"

Kenneth looked at her funny, smoothing his striped sweater. "Er…well…why?"

Lily paused a moment to catch her breath. "It's really important, Kenneth. Do you? I know your parents are, well…Death Eaters…"

He looked irritated. "Are you going to make fun of me too? Call me a traitor? Join the bloody club—" He turned to leave. "I'm going to breakfast—"

"Wait!" Lily cried, grabbing his robes. "Please, Kenneth. I'm not here to make fun of you. I need your help, and I know someone else who needs it too."

He narrowed his eyes cautiously. "Why?"

"Can you testify? Can you…" she looked around and lowered her voice, "Can you vouch for the fact that Edith's parents are Death Eaters?"

Kenneth scoffed. "Of course I can. They—" he stopped short and looked at his feet.

"They _what_, Kenneth?" Lily pressed. "Please, this is important."

Kenneth shook his head. "I—no, I have to go." He tried to shove past her, but amazingly, with the adrenaline pumping through her veins, Lily blocked his path.

"Kenneth," she looked him straight in the eye. "Whatever you're keeping could be the key to helping a lot of people."

He grumbled something and looked at his shoes.

"What?" Lily said angrily.

Ruddy-faced, he lifted his head and growled, "I _said_, they killed Lydia Lofgren." He suddenly looked ashamed, as if he'd said too much.

"They—_what_?"

"I—I have to go—" He whirled around, but Lily caught him by the sleeve.

"Kenneth!" she hissed, dragging him into an empty corridor. "You're telling me that the Baldrics killed Mila and Ingrid's mother? But I thought—"

"That _my_ parents did it?" Kenneth said angrily. "They did—but not by choice. They were under the Imperius Curse."

Lily was gaping. "Kenneth…have you told anyone this?"

"No. And you can't either!" he burst, suddenly looking panicked. "They only did it to protect me. They worked for Dumbledore, and were trying to put an end to the Baldrics. But they were tricked and the Baldrics said they'd kill my parents and me if they admitted to being under the Curse."

"But—"

"No!" Kenneth shuddered. "It's why they're in Azkaban right now—and it's the only way for them to stay alive."

Lily was overwhelmed. "Does…Ingrid know?"

Kenneth looked ashamed once more. "Yes…it's the only reason she's still dating me. But her brother and sister—"

"Don't know," Lily finished for him. "Kenneth, how could you keep something like this so secret? You have to tell—"

"No way. My parents are at the mercy of the Baldrics, cooped up in there with who knows how many Death Eaters…"

"But…" Lily took a deep breath, "Being in there is killing them too."

The halls were dead silent. Everyone was in class by now. Kenneth scuffed his shoe on the floor. "I know…"

"The Baldrics have done a lot of horrible things—and there's no telling what else they have in store for other families. I can already think of one in danger…" She looked him hard in the eye. This was turning out to be a lot darker than she'd expected. "Kenneth, you have to be brave. You have to step forward and say something. Dumbledore will keep you safe."

"I can't."

"Kenneth," she touched his shoulder gently. "I'm so, so sorry about your parents. But think long and hard about this—it's your chance to be brave and finish what your parents started. Your words can put the Baldrics away forever, and release your parents."

He thought about this a moment, looking a bit pale and shaky. Finally, he nodded. It was barely noticeable, but still, affirmation.

"Okay. Okay," Lily repeated. "This is good. Here's what we're going to do. You're going to come with me to the fundraiser at the Potter's. All you have to do is back me up and say you can testify. I promise, no one at that place will let you come to any harm. I have a friend who's writing this article for the _Prophet_, and if you can testify, it could potentially put the Baldrics away for a really long time."

Kenneth licked his lips nervously and nodded. "Okay," he looked Lily in the eye. "I-I'll do it."

Lily swallowed hard. If this was true, then there was far more at stake than Madeline's father's job—who knew what plans the Baldrics had for James and the Potters? They could be getting tangled up in something that was sure to be horrible. She couldn't let that happen, no matter what her feelings for James were.

---

"You really think this will work?" Charlotte pursed her lips as she handed over the tickets to the fundraiser that she'd wrangled. "I mean, it _is_ Kenneth we're talking about here."

"It has to," Lily said determinedly, tucking them in her pocket and throwing a cloak over her dress. "It's my only shot to help everyone."

"So…" Charlotte examined a nail. "I guess this means you won't be needing me."

"Don't be ridiculous," Lily said. "You're the reason I'm even taking any action against Edith."

"Well…" Charlotte looked somewhat pleased. "I doubt I'll be there to witness it. I have some business of my own to take care of."

"Work?"

"Just some things I've been too busy to get to," she said mysteriously.

Lily nodded, checking her appearance. "Right."

Charlotte leaned in and jammed another bobby pin in Lily's knot and smiled. "Perfection. Now, whatever you do, don't let Helen see you—she'll know that I told you about Sirius and Edith."

"Right." Lily snagged her scarf and hurried out the door. She'd received special permission to travel by Floo with a few other students, and did her best to blend in with them so that Helen and Florence wouldn't single her out and ruin the plan.

When she arrived, tumbling once more onto the familiar white carpeted floor of the Potter's, a flood of anxiety filled her chest, making it a tad difficult to breathe. She loosened the scarf around her neck and fanned her heated face with her handbag.

"This way, please, your families are waiting in the ballroom," the hook-nosed butler simpered as the Hogwarts students invited marched past him. He followed each with the tip of his nose. "Delighted to have you _all_."

Lily tried to hide her face when she passed him, his hawk eyes zoning in on her momentarily before moving on. Relieved, she scurried forward a bit faster to keep up with the eager partiers.

"I heard this is James' goodbye party as well," a feathery-haired girl said loudly.

"It is…My mum told me he's off to France tomorrow, day after his birthday," a dark-haired boy Lily recognized as a Slytherin prefect sneered. "Dodging his exams is all. What luck."

The group laughed.

Lily tried to keep her head down as they entered the party. Within seconds she spotted them: the Potters and the Baldrics sipping drinks and chatting. James was swirling his glass, staring dully at its contents. Sirius was lingering nearby, a drink in his hand. He turned and caught sight of Lily suddenly, his dark eyebrows rising curiously.

Quickly, she dove out of sight behind a particularly tall man and caught her breath.

Across the glamorously decorated room, over the masses of elegantly cloaked and coifed guests, Lily spotted Kenneth and a man Lily deemed to be his grandfather, mingling with the crowd. Kenneth was looking pasty in his dress robes, eyes darting shiftily around the room. This was her chance.

It was then Lily felt a hand latch firmly onto her shoulder and whirl her around. "Miss? Are we lost?"

Lily shrank away from the sneering face of the Potter's butler, Leatherby. "Er…"

"I don't believe I see your name on the guest list," he cooed. So he _had _recognized her when she came in. Damn.

"Well…I have a ticket!" She waved the glittering stub weakly in his face.

He snatched it and tucked it in his pocket. "_Not_," he drawled, "anymore. I think we both know you were never on the list. Follow me, please, Miss Evans."

"Okay, but—see—" Lily objected, struggling as he tried to usher her out. "I have a_ guest_ ticket—"

"Please, Miss, let's not cause a scene," he droned. "I was given specific instructions from Miss Baldric to see that—"

Immediately, Lily dug in her heels and turned, kicking him hard in the shin. Leatherby stumbled and caught himself on a side table, smashing three champagne glasses in the process. The surrounding crowd jumped back at the shattering of glass and watched in horror as Lily shoved her way through.

"Stop!" Leatherby choked, still clutching his knee.

Lily honed in on the Potters, shoving anyone in her way. Edith turned just then to see the commotion and immediately went pale.

"Stop her!" Edith cried suddenly, desperately putting herself between James and Lily.

Someone in the crowd snagged Lily's arm, and she struggled to get free. "JAMES!" she shouted.

He moved past Edith, knocking her to the side so that he could see what was going on. "Lily? Let her go!" He demanded angrily.

"No!" Edith shouted, running interference.

James brushed her aside again and took Lily by the shoulder, helping to steady her. The blonde man with a moustache who'd been holding her let go, and she recognized him as James' Uncle Edgar from the dinner party.

"You know this little terror?" his uncle smoothed his jacket and glared at Lily. "She's soiled my best pants."

Lily noticed a giant stain from spilled champagne on his thigh. "Er, sorry about that." It looked like he'd wet himself. She had a bit of trouble feigning regret.

"_What_ is the meaning of this?" Mrs. Potter glided forward, tightening her beaded shawl around her shoulders, peering bitterly down at Lily.

Mr. Potter delicately moved past his wife. "I'll handle this, Eleanor. Miss Evans." He shot her a dark look. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"She needs to leave—" Edith started, but her parents silenced her. They were about to wish they hadn't.

Lily stood up straight, completely aware her hair and clothes were askew, but tried her hardest to ignore her shabby appearance in the mirrored dining hall. "I—" she could feel her nerves swelling, her hands growing clammy. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Just then she noticed James' hand was still resting on her shoulder. She glanced up, peering back into his confused hazel eyes. "I—came here to make sure everyone knew the truth—about the Baldrics."

"What—" Mr. Baldric stepped forward, breaking his usual grim silence. His eyes were beady, not at all like Edith's, and his sharp little goatee was like a threatening little dagger, just waiting to spear his prey.

Mr. Potter held up a hand to silence him. "That will not be necessary, Miss Evans. We're all aware who the Baldrics are—our future family," he smiled benignly. The crowd actually tittered in response.

Lily thought she was going to be sick. "You can't be serious—" she spat. "You of all people should know who and what they are. You told me it was the reason you were even letting James marry Edith—because being connected to the Dark Arts could keep James safe."

There was a collective gasp.

James tightened his grip on Lily's shoulder. "Lily…"

"No," she shook him off, angrily. "It's true! The Baldrics are working for You-Know-Who! They killed Lydia Lofgren!"

Everyone gasped again and began chattering.

"That's _enough_!" Mr. Potter bellowed. "I will not have you come here uninvited and attack my guests. Everyone knows that Aldus and Gemma Kaufman murdered the Lofgren woman. They're in Azkaban for it."

"It's not true. Kenneth!" Lily turned and searched the crowd for him. "Their son Kenneth can testify that it's not true. Kenneth!" She spotted him on the other side of the room, hands stuffed in his pockets. He was sweating profusely, avoiding her eyes. "Kenneth! Tell them," she urged.

He shifted awkwardly. "I—I'm sorry, Lily," he mumbled, turning and shoving his way through the crowd until he had disappeared.

"Kenneth!" Lily cried after him, her jaw hanging limply. This was not happening.

"Thomas, please," Eleanor Potter hissed hastily, "_do_ something."

"You need to leave. Immediately," James' father snapped at Lily. "Leatherby—"

"Of course you would try to cover this up—" Lily burst, snaking out of Leatherby's grasp. "You're a liar yourself! Trying to bribe me into staying away from your son! You're almost as bad as _them_," she spat in the Baldric's direction. "They buy out every business in this area and sack anyone who doesn't reach their 'standards'! Madeline Merewether's father, because he's a squib—" Lily spoke directly to James, "and countless others because they aren't pureblood! It's discrimination!"

"What we do with our employees is no concern of yours, young lady—" Mr. Baldric shot back.

Lily was fuming now, with no intention of stopping. Her hair had come loose, and was tumbling over her shoulders like a fiery halo—she probably looked psychotic, but she could care less. She turned back to Mr. Potter. "Was it you who got my father sacked so that you could get me to take the money? Or am I not giving Edith enough credit?"

Leatherby latched onto her then, as did Edgar, dragging her backwards like a mental patient being hauled off to her cell.

Thomas Potter had turned his back on her and was in the process of ushering his wife away. But James had other plans.

"Don't _touch_ her," he snarled to Leatherby and Edgar, wrenching Lily free from their iron grips. He took her wrist and moved protectively in front of her.

"Dad," he said quietly, "Is it true?"

Thomas looked appalled. "James, I am your father. This is ridiculous—the girl is obviously lying to get your attention."

James was livid. "Lily wouldn't lie."

James' father was losing color, his wrinkled cheeks matching his silvery hair. He shook his head tensely, his frown deepening the lines on his face. "We can talk about this in private—"

"No," James bellowed suddenly, his eyes dark with intent. He straightened and looked his father straight in the eye—they were both of equal stature and looked impressive in their attire, almost fearsome. "We talk about this now."

"James—" Mr. Potter warned.

"Dad," James replied steadily, as if trying to hold back his anger, "This—all of this—it ends _now_."

"What's the meaning of this?" Mr. Baldric piped up, moving his pointed beard this way and that incredulously. "We had an agreement, Thomas—"

"I'll handle this, Eamon," Thomas Potter held up a hand. "James, you have an obligation to your family—"

"I am _not_," James hissed, pressing his face close to his father's, "going to _France_."

The room erupted in chatter. Edith looked like she was going to interrupt, but James kept speaking.

"I may have an obligation to marry her, one that I can't turn down even if I wanted to," he indicated to Edith roughly, "but we'll do it on my terms when I'm ready. I'm not leaving Hogwarts."

"James!" his mother placed a hand to her décolletage with a little intake of breath.

"Mum, please," he turned to her, "You know I'm a grown man now. You can't keep forcing me to follow Dad's orders. In fact," he turned back to his father, "You legally can't force me to go anywhere now that I'm 17."

His father pursed his lips, looking as if he would burst.

Lily watched James a moment, standing tall against his father. He looked…so grown up.

"Tell me now," he whispered dangerously, "Did you have something to do with Lily's father losing his job?"

"Don't be absurd, James," Thomas Potter replied gruffly, his eyes darting between guests, all agog, hardly believing their luck at witnessing firsthand such a fantastic future piece of gossip.

"It's true," another voice broke in suddenly.

They all whirled around to see the crowd parting in awe to allow a brilliantly dressed blonde girl, her curls pinned back elegantly, stride through the opening like a religious figure.

"Charlotte—" Lily gaped at her friend as she tipped her head graciously to the guests she passed.

"Adolphus, it's been too long," Charlotte grinned and did a little curtsy. "Phinneaus, Julia, a pleasure as always…" She reached Lily's side and halted abruptly, hand on her glittering and svelte hip.

James looked at her blankly. "So it's true—my father had something to do with Lily's father losing his job."

"I don't know," she brushed the air prettily, "But _this_ is true!"

Suddenly, she whipped a photograph from her bosom and shoved it in James' face. "You've been played, darling."

Lily nearly fainted. She glanced at Sirius who was watching intently from a safe distance. "No!" She clawed desperately for the photo, knowing full well it would hurt him just as much as Edith. She latched on to Charlotte's wrist, but she easily broke free.

"I'm sorry, Lily," she said, "You may not be that type of person, but _I_ am. Look at this, James."

James took the moving photo and immediately looked repulsed. His hands were shaking, his eyes hidden by his dark hair—Lily couldn't fully make out his reaction, but it couldn't be good—his best friend had been cheating with his fiancé.

Immediately, Thomas Potter snatched the picture away, examining it himself. After a shaky moment, he balled it up and tossed it to the floor, the crumpled image rolling to Lily's feet. "What kind of sick joke is this?" he boomed, his voice echoing off the high walls, rattling the chandeliers a bit.

Lily bent to pick up the crumpled photo, unraveling it as she stood.

Charlotte stood her ground. Edith was watching her with vicious hawk eyes. "That," she spat, making sure to lock eyes with Edith, "is your son's fiancé getting down and dirty with—"

"Charlotte, no!" Lily begged.

"—her _favorite_ Beater," Charlotte finished with a sparkle. "No pun intended."

There was yet another collective gasp in the room. An elderly lady swooned while another croaked, "It's positively _lude_!"

"It's—just a photograph—it means nothing—" Thomas Potter stammered, losing a bit of his cool.

Charlotte shook her head. "Give me all the truth serum you want—I'm the witness, and I will testify to break that marriage contract."

Lily's eyes widened as she stared at the picture. She looked up at James, his expression unreadable, then back at the photo. She glanced over to where Sirius had been standing, but he seemed to have suddenly disappeared, his empty glass sitting on the windowsill. It wasn't Sirius in the photo—it was—

Suddenly and inexplicably, James burst out laughing. The entire dining room looked at him, appalled. "Grimm?" he laughed, looking at Edith. "You cheated on me with _Grimm_? That Slytherin oaf? _That's_ the best you could do?" Tears were streaming down his face now as he clutched his stomach.

"What's so bloody funny?" Edith snarled. "And _you_," she rounded on Charlotte, her teeth like venomous points, "We had a _deal_. I _paid _you. I _paid _you to keep quiet!"

"Money doesn't buy everything, Edith," Charlotte brushed her curls aside. "It bought these fab cherry Beatrix Brunhild pumps." She lifted a heel daintily. "But some things are worth more…" she winked at Lily. "I've learned my lesson and I think I'd rather earn my way out of debt, thank you."

Edith looked as if she wanted to explode.

"You know," Charlotte whispered devilishly to James, "if you'd stayed with me, this _never_ would have happened."

James opened his mouth to reply, but she silenced him with a dramatic finger to the lips.

"No, James. I'm sorry. I've moved on," she said endearingly, the most piteous look upon her face. She immediately whirled to face the Potters. "But you all should be ashamed of yourselves, treating Lily like an inmate—she's the best, most loyal, brightest witch I know, and you're all a lot of sods if you can't see it." She grabbed Lily by the wrist and hauled her off. "Come on, I'm getting you out of here."

"But—"

"Relax," Charlotte whispered softly, something sympathetic in her voice, "there's nothing more you can do right now."

"This is unacceptable," Mr. Baldric raged, snatching Edith by the wrist roughly. She winced but said nothing. "We're _leaving_ immediately."

Lily turned to catch a glimpse of Mrs. Baldric slapping Edith in the face. "You_ foul_ girl," she hissed, "How dare you betray this family?" Charlotte was still dragging her away from the crowd, but as Eamon Baldric raised his daughter's arm to haul her away, Lily noticed thick scars on the underside of her forearm.

Just then, Edith broke free from her parents' grasps while they argued with the Potters, Lily watching as she fled out the side door.

Lily grabbed Charlotte, forcing her to stop. "Wait—" she said, pulling her sleeve free, "I just have to—" Lily turned and ran back, following Edith's trail.

"Lily!" Charlotte called after her.

Outside the dining room, everything was dimly lit, and the corridors, as Lily remembered, were like a maze. She treaded cautiously, checking every corner as she went, until she stumbled across a cracked door, soft voices emanating from within the room. Quietly, she slipped forward to get a better view of the inside, her breath catching when she spotted Sirius and Edith embracing; Sirius was cradling Edith, a hand softly on her head.

"I've ruined…_everything_," she groaned, "I'm so sorry, Sirius."

He shushed her. "Don't worry about that now. Things are they way they are."

"I-I just thought, that if I could convince Thomas to send James away, we could have more time together—" she brought her tearstained eyes up to meet his. "I never thought they'd want to send me too—and then with Grimm—I was lonely—it was stupid—"

"I know."

"Will you forgive me?"

Sirius didn't say anything. He just hushed her again and held her silently.

Lily felt extremely uncomfortable as she stood there witnessing something so…private. They way they looked at each other—Lily wasn't sure if she should be appalled or touched. Trying to creep away, she began to back up slowly, but her foot caught a creaky floorboard, and the two of them immediately spotted her in the doorway.

"_You_!" Edith screeched, pulling out her wand. "You did this! You ruined everything!"

Sirius grabbed her wand arm and pulled her back, "Stop it, Edith."

"No," she said wildly, looking desperately at Sirius, "Punish her. Now. _She's_ the reason we can't be together—"

Sirius was shaking his head slowly, his mouth set in a line.

"Sirius," she spat, "if you _love_ _me_ you will _hurt_ her!"

He placed a hand calmly on her arm and looked her in the eye. "No. Edith, _you_ are the reason we can't be together…you and a million other reasons. And you know that."

Edith stared at him a moment, her eyes wild, darting toward Lily as if she were contemplating a curse, but as the moment waned, she seemed to settle, and in a sudden swoop, fell into Sirius' arms, sobbing.

Lily looked over her shoulder to see Charlotte standing quietly behind her, realizing that Edith had been screaming at her, not Lily. Despite the satisfied look in her eye, Charlotte looked unusually solemn.

"We should go," she said to Lily, arms folded.

Lily nodded, thinking that she'd like to see James, just for a minute, but before she knew it, she and Charlotte were tumbling through the fire with a fistful of Floo, leaving it all behind.

---


	28. Final Chances

**A/N: Well, guys, this is it. I just wanted to tell you how much your reviews and support have meant to me over these past few years. Since I started this story in 2004, I feel I've learned a lot and my writing has greatly improved. I'll continue with my other stories as this final chapter of _Unrivaled_ comes to a close. I just hope you've all enjoyed reading this fic as much as I have enjoyed writing it! I wish I could give each and every one of you a big fat hug!**

**Much Love, **

**The Kat**

**---**

**Chapter Twenty-eight: Final Chances**

With spring came hints of good weather, starting that Tuesday. The sun was out, shining through the high windows of the Great Hall, teasing the students locked up inside. Lily flipped the page of her paper and took a sip of pumpkin juice.

…_in the autumn of 1968. These little known facts have been concealed for decades, allowing the Baldric family to conduct their affairs with little to no interference, weaseling their way into the homes of many upper-class wizarding families with well-known names. The Vanes, among the others, were unfortunately swindled out of their booming cauldron company in return for the Baldric's vow of protection from You-Know-Who. A new investigation regarding these incidents has been opened by the Ministry. _

_In light of the recent findings and testimonies regarding the once-sealed Lofgren case, both Aldus and Gemma Kaufman's names have been cleared (see related article). They are now residing in a care home for rehabilitation from their years wrongfully locked away in Azkaban. _

_In such dark times, the only hope is that these revelations prove the flaw in the justice system, and make the Ministry of Defense far more aware of the wide network of You-Know-Who's followers. _

_~Melinda Moonshine, staff writer for the _Daily Prophet

Lily folded up her copy of the _Prophet_, Mr. and Mrs. Baldric's faces plastered shamefully on the cover, and right beside them, in another article, a photo of a beautiful blonde woman smiled back at her with the title "Verdict on Lofgren-Kaufman Case Overturned" printed in bold.

"It's a good day," Charlotte beamed at Lily. "Long weekend— but a good day today."

"Yeah…" Lily looked across the table at Charlotte, chewing thoughtfully on her cheek. "I've been meaning to ask—I don't understand," she said, "that photo you took behind _Alexandria's_—you said it was Sirius."

Charlotte popped a bit of sausage in her mouth and swallowed. "Yeah, well, it was dark. I finally got around to cleaning it up—and there is was, clear as a bell—Bellamy Grimm."

"Well…" Lily grimaced, "It still doesn't make what you did right…"

"But it sure was fun," Charlotte relished, "The look in Edith's eyes was _priceless_!"

There was a soft rap on Lily's shoulders and she spun around to meet Professor McGonagall's stern gaze. She pressed her glasses up the tip of her nose and cleared her throat.

"Professor—?"

"Miss Evans," she spoke tersely through thin lips, "I have someone who'd like to speak with you."

"Er…" Lily looked bewilderedly at Charlotte who simply shrugged and stuffed another strip of bacon in her mouth.

"This way, please," McGonagall said sharply, already turning away and heading for the door.

"Er—" Lily scrambled out of her seat, stumbling over her own book bag. "Okay—coming—" She gave Charlotte one last weird glance before chasing after the swift-moving McGonagall.

Huffing and mildly winded, Lily followed McGonagall all the way to her office. Once inside, the door latching with a soft click, Lily was directed to a wingback chair by her mahogany desk.

A large blonde head poked up, and a wide face met Lily with a smile.

"Kenneth!" Lily was startled. "What—"

"Sorry we have to meet here," Kenneth looked bashfully at his feet. "McGonagall—"

"Ahem," McGonagall cleared her throat primly with a sharp look.

"I mean _Professor_ McGonagall thought it would be best not to advertise my whereabouts."

"But…" Lily was still confused, looking from the professor to Kenneth. "Why? Did something happen?"

"I'll say," McGonagall adjusted her glasses with a faint smirk.

Kenneth flushed and sniffled. "Well…I took your advice. Actually, it was Charlotte Vane who gave me the name of your friend writing the article…and that's how it started—before I knew it, I was standing before the Wizengamot."

Lily was speechless. So that's how Melinda was able to publish the article…

"But I suppose I really owe it all to you—my parents are finally free." He looked at his large hands a moment. "I just…I really needed to apologize to you, for, you know, not having your back at the party."

"Oh, well…"

"I was a complete sod. I'm sorry, Lily."

What else could she say? "It's okay, Kenneth. Things…worked out for the best." She smiled. "And," she put a hand on his arm, "I'm proud of you. You were very brave."

He blushed again. "Thanks, Lily."

"Kaufman, it's time for you to get going," McGonagall began ushering Kenneth toward a large trunk in the corner.

"Wait—" Lily began putting two and two together, "You're leaving?"

"He can't very well stay here!" McGonagall chirped. "It's not safe."

"'Fraid I can't tell you either," Kenneth shrugged. "But Dumbledore's made arrangements for me."

Lily paled. She hadn't even thought about the repercussions for Kenneth—after all, he'd just testified about a murder and put two Death Eaters in Azkaban. He'd surely be a target. And she'd encouraged him. "Oh, Kenneth, I'm so sorry—I didn't realize—"

He shook his ruddy head vehemently. "Don't be. For once…" he took a deep breath, "I feel…brave."

McGonagall huffed. "Well, you _are_ a Gryffindor."

Kenneth beamed.

"Yes you are," Lily beamed back.

On her way back down to breakfast, Lily's thoughts wandered to Mila. Ever since her family had been informed about the overturned verdict, they'd been gone from school. Mila had sent a short letter, letting her know she'd be back at the end of the week. She had taken the news just fine, but it still dredged up unwanted memories. Still, she wore a bright smile and after absorbing everything, she asked Lily about James.

But Lily didn't really have an answer. Like Mila, James had also disappeared, and though she'd been thinking about him—constantly, actually—she also knew he probably needed space. After all, his family had been plotting behind his back and was trying to force him out of the country, whatever the reason.

And though Lily hadn't seen much of anyone the whole weekend, she did run into someone she hadn't planned on.

Monday on her way to Charms, she passed through the Astronomy Tower, stumbling across a shrunken figure lounging on a windowsill. Her dark, wavy hair caught a breeze and fluttered back to reveal dark, sad eyes, intent on Lily when she froze on the spot, unable to move her legs.

"Edith…" Lily stared at her. Edith didn't frighten her anymore.

She just smirked and turned back to the view. Lily noticed she wasn't wearing her robes, and she seemed a bit thinner and paler.

Lily was about to slip out the side door when Edith spoke to her.

"Going to class?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned, responding hesitantly. "Charms. You?"

Edith laughed hollowly. "No. I'm just waiting for my aunt to collect the rest of my things."

Lily really didn't want to talk, but felt suddenly compelled to humor her. "Your aunt?"

Edith swung her legs around so that she was facing Lily. "Yes. She's taking me to Bulgaria for a few months to wait things out."

"So…no graduation," Lily pulled awkwardly on the strap of her book bag.

"No graduation." She stared at Lily a moment, her dark lashes shading any expression her eyes might have had.

"I'd better…"

"I knew once word got out about Grimm, the only way to keep things in order would be to get James away from Hogwarts, so I convinced his father it wasn't safe here—I just…didn't think they would want to send me too," she blurted suddenly.

Lily bit her cheek. "You wanted to be here. With Sirius."

She fell silent and kicked a loose stone in the wall with the back of her foot.

"Why—er—if you don't mind me asking—did you risk everything for that Slytherin Beater?"

Edith's eyes were shaded. "Everyone gets lonely." She tipped her head back and smirked. "And Sirius wouldn't give in. He's become too much of a good boy…I think I should blame you for that."

There was something that had been bothering her. "Those scars on your wrist," Lily pointed shyly, "Isn't that…"

"You saw them." Edith sighed shortly and turned her head away, scratching at the phantom wounds self-consciously. "My parents had the Dark Mark given to me when I was fourteen. I spent a full seven months trying to burn, cut, tear, and hex it off. Nothing worked, of course." She looked Lily in the eye darkly, a small smirk on her lips. "Just another testament to the life I can't escape. My parent's world has made me what I am, Lily. Be grateful you were spared that."

Lily was silent.

"You have everything, you know. Looks, intelligence, James…" she laughed. "I have everything…and nothing at all. That's the difference between you and me, Lily. I'm empty."

Another breeze picked up and brushed a bit of auburn hair across Lily's forehead, tickling her nose. She gazed outside past Edith's shoulder.

Edith blinked suddenly, as if from a daze. "I'm keeping you."

And that was all. Edith stood up and gave Lily one last strange look before walking out. She didn't apologize for anything or say goodbye, but for some reason, Lily didn't think twice about it. She just watched Edith go and then went to class, meditating on Sirius' words: _She's not all bad._

Maybe, maybe not, Lily thought to herself. Most likely she was just an angry girl.

---

Another few days passed, and it wasn't until she'd heard some girls gossiping in the corridors that she found out James had returned to Hogwarts. She had yet to run into him, but she had privately decided not to seek him out. Lily had finally come to terms with the fact that James had been using her, and since that was all in the past, there was no sense in dredging it up. No. It was time to move on; she had prefect duties to attend to and a Headship to look forward to in Seventh year.

And yet…

"Lily."

She stopped outside the door of her classroom as students rushed past her on their way to lunch. Sirius was sweeping a hand through his jet-black hair, leaning casually against the wall across the corridor.

She smiled and made her way over to him. He smirked at her a moment while the students filtered out of the corridor until they were the only two left.

"Doing well?" His grey eyes were bright.

"I should be asking _you_ that," she blushed.

He brushed the air with a hand. "Ah," he grinned, "I've got plenty of things to keep me busy. I'm moving in with James this summer."

"Really? I thought—"

He grinned again. "It's done. He's my best mate—can't stay mad at each other for long." He shifted against the wall and folded his arms thoughtfully. "Besides. I think he's changed…just, something about him. I've never seen him stand up to his dad before, you know."

"Oh…?" Lily tried not to seem too interested.

"Yeah," he said with a sparkle in his eye.

"So…" Lily peered down the hall, fiddling with her shoulder strap. "I guess you and Edith weren't plotting to kill him, then."

"What?"

"Oh," she stammered, kicking herself for saying something so stupid, "I just meant—er—Well, Remus had told me once that he saw you and Edith fighting and she said something about her relationship with James only being temporary…"

Sirius looked extremely confused. Then after a moment, something dawned on him. "Ah, you mean—" he chuckled a bit dryly and nodded. "She wasn't talking about James. She was talking about Grimm. I knew she was seeing him."

"You—" Lily gaped, "You _knew_? But—"

"I was angry. She told me her relationship with the weed was only temporary." Sirius smirked to himself. "Remus. Always trying to look out for everyone."

"Well," Lily scuffed her toe against the ground bashfully, "Remus isn't the only one who looks out for his friends." She brought her bright green eyes up to meet his softening face. "Thank you for being so good to me. And you know, about Edith…You'll have it again one day."

"Again, huh?" he trailed off, and then tipped his head musingly. "I suppose I could have had it with you, but I think there's someone else, isn't there?"

Lily swallowed hard and avoided his gaze.

"He's an idiot," he smirked, "But he's a lucky idiot."

Lily scoffed.

"He's out there."

"Hmm?" she tried to sound nonchalant. "Who?"

Sirius snatched her by the shoulders and turned her in the direction of the courtyard. "You're so cute, Lily. Don't be coy. Now go." With a quick kiss on her cheek, he shoved her off.

Nervously, Lily stumbled off, glancing behind her for reassurance from Sirius, but he'd already disappeared. She steadied herself in the doorway, took a deep breath, and then stepped out into the sunshine.

She laid her books down on the stone floor of the covered walkway and then shrugged off her book bag, dropping it beside them.

There he was, perched gingerly on the rough stone wall, bracing himself against a pillar. At times James seemed older to her, and at others so childish. But at this moment, set against the pale blue sky, his dark good looks were all the more striking, the elegant outline of his jaw and straight nose making him appear so mature.

Lily smoothed her skirt and ventured toward him. He didn't seem to notice her.

The clouds were shifting above, their pale shadows moving across the expansive grounds. The crisp spring air rustled the leaves and blew a few strands of hair across her cheek. Roughly, she brushed away the tears that had begun to pool inexplicably in her eyes.

"James." She stood still beside him, watching as he stared intently out at the grounds. She recognized this part of the courtyard—it was where she'd followed him out the night of the Yule Ball. Now, the climbing roses that encircled the stone pillars were blossomless, but rich and green, ready to sprout new buds.

He didn't turn to her. A breeze ruffled his dark hair.

"James," she repeated softly.

Wordlessly he peered up at her, as if it took all of his strength to tear his gaze from the grounds.

She turned her eyes down to her open palms and swallowed hard. "I…I'm sorry about Edith."

James just stared at her silently, his hazel eyes flickering. There was something different about him.

Lily shifted awkwardly on the cobblestones and took another deep breath. "I mean, I'm sorry that it all happened this way. I wish…I wish that—"

He was still staring, his eyes boring into hers.

Discomfort welled in her, forcing her throat to close up a bit. "It's just…er…what I mean is—"

"Shut up."

Lily flushed brightly.

James stood, his lean body arched slightly over her quite suddenly. Gently, he reached out his forefinger, tilting her chin upward so that the light hit her face. He scoffed and dropped his hand. "Have you been crying?"

Lily frowned. "_No_. Not…really…"

He snorted and turned away.

Sudden inexplicable anger welled in the pit of her belly and deepened her flush. "I know you don't care about me, but I am _trying_ to at least be a friend—"

James whipped back around darkly. "What makes you say I don't care?"

She quickly lost her fire and stammered a bit. "Just…I know about the contract. Edith told me." James' eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke. She cast her eyes away. "I know that you could have gotten out of it…if you were able to declare your love for…someone else."

His eyes widened. "_That's _what she told you?"

"Yes…but," Lily began to babble, "_obviously_ if there had been someone else, you would have just done that. But…since there wasn't—"

"You're an _idiot_."

Lily frowned. "Excuse me?"

James moved toward her, eyes dark. "I _said_ you're an idiot, Evans."

"I am _not_ an 'idiot,' thank you. Not only am I a prefect, but I'm also top of the class—"

James actually guffawed. Lily thought that was a bit excessive. After all, she was _trying _to be friendly here.

"There's no need to be rude. That's what she told me—"

"And you _believed _her?" He was grinning now. "Lily, if that was all I had to do, this whole mess would have been over a long time ago."

"But—"

"Lily," he said, his voice strained, "I love _you_." He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and turned his eyes to her. "How could you not know that?"

She blanched from the roots of her auburn hair to her toes. "But…b-but…" she stammered, "But if you l-loved me, why didn't you say anything? What about—"

"Lily."

"—the time in the corridor when we almost—well, you know—couldn't you have told me then?"

"_Shut_ _it_, Evans."

"Is that why you were trying to get me to say it? That's a bit cruel, don't you think? Not to mention presumptuous—"

Right then, James grabbed her shoulders and pulled her deeply into a kiss. Almost instantaneously her healthy blush returned, and by the time he pulled away, she was glowing. He rested his forehead against hers and searched her eyes, his glittering with mischief. Softly, he brought his hands to her cheeks and brushed the thick auburn hair back from her face, cradling her head there a moment.

His lips curled into a grin. "You love me."

She stared at him blankly a moment, still in shock from the kiss.

James slid a hand down to the small of her back. "You _love_ me," he repeated, half-whispering.

"I…" she mouthed, blushing.

His hand gently, but firmly, pulled her body tightly to his. "Say it," he commanded gruffly.

Lily's heart thudded. She lifted her downcast eyes to meet his, their emerald color sparkling in contrast to her thick lashes. As gently as he'd touched her cheeks, she too brought her fingers delicately to his face and held him a moment. He almost seemed to weaken slightly at her touch, his entire body relaxing into her.

"I love you, James," she whispered to him. Although soft, it carried a weight she never knew she could convey with simple words.

That signature smirk spread across his face and that mischievous sparkle returned to his eyes. He embraced her tightly and leaned in for a kiss, but she laid a hand on his chest to stop him.

"But," Lily added with her own mischievous twinkle, "you've always known that, haven't you?"

"Evans," James grinned, "you never have known when to shut up."

And with that, he pulled her deeply into a kiss.

Lily didn't protest. How had James put it? _Sometimes hands-on is a more effective method of getting the message across._

James pressed her tighter to his firm body, his lips beginning to roam. Lily sighed.

She couldn't have put it better herself.

***

_**The End**_

***

*

*

*

_Dear Lily, _

_I know it's been quite some time since we've talked, but I wanted to make sure I told you how much I appreciate all you did for my family—Charlotte told me everything. Now that the Vanes have their company back, my father is back to work! That means I'll be able to return for seventh year. I hope we'll be roommates again. _

_Your friend, _

_Madeline_

_---_

_Lily,_

_I just wanted to say thank you again for dropping by the offices to visit me! Things have been abuzz ever since I published that article—I've received several more job offers since we last spoke. I still think you're mental for wanting me to sign your copy of that horrid _Detoxify, De-stress, and Don't Explode- Literally- for the Modern Witch_, but if you insist that it changed your life, then, well…I'm glad. Appalled, but glad. Write soon. _

_Much Love,_

_Melinda_

_---_

_My Dear Lily, _

_I just had to write and tell you the wonderful news! Mr. Wiggins phoned your father yesterday to inform him a position had reopened—it was so strange and out of the blue, like he'd come out of some spell! And it wasn't even his old job—he got a promotion! How fabulous is that! Oh, you'd be so proud of him in his new black suit. He looks so professional—and what a dish! _

_Anyway, I'll see you in a few days at the station! _

…_By the way, how is that dashing boyfriend of yours, James? You should invite him to stay…_

_Love always,_

_Mum_

_---_

_Lily,_

_Spain is truly drab. Daddy's been forcing me into store after store to repay me for all the shopping time I lost during his 'former troubles' (as we now refer to them in the house), but he just can't seem to understand that if I see another damned dress robe in Bermuda Blue, I may vomit. _

_I've also recently come to the conclusion that the whole working thing just isn't really for me. When Daddy got the company back, I gladly informed Hilda where she could insert the unsorted stack of return slips. _

_Hope all is well with your James—is the sex fab? _

_Cheers,_

_Charlotte _

_---_

_Dearest Tallulah Evans, _

_Working on that tan in Majorca? We miss you dreadfully, old girl! Your replacement Carla just can't seem to brew coffee quite the same. She's also been doing something funny in the storeroom with Grover from Accounting._

_Fondest regards, _

_Your workmates here at the Ministry_

_---_

_Lily,_

_I miss you so much already! You promised we'd make time this summer to see each other. I'm holding you to that! Write me!_

_XOXO Mila_

_---_

_Lily—_

_Don't lie to me! I know you can't possibly be celibate with a god like James for a boyfriend!_

_Charlotte_

_---_

_Evans, _

_You're spending the summer with me in France. I won't take no for an answer. _

_James_

_P.S. Don't bother packing any knickers. _

_---_

_I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU WERE GOING TO FRANCE WITH JAMES!!!!_

_Charlotte_

_P.S. …do you think you could pick me up a replacement bottle of Petite Clematite? Thanks a bunch._


End file.
